'Pathirana could be better than Malinga'

The Chennai Super Kings are enjoying a strong season in the 2023 Indian Premier League; the side is currently in the top-4 with four of its games remaining. 

The Super Kings are one of the favourites to go all the way and lift the trophy this year, and have seen multiple players stepping up for the side in different games – one of them being Sri Lanka's emerging star Matheesha Pathirana. The pacer, whose bowling action draws uncanny resemblance with one of Sri Lanka's legendary bowlers Lasith Malinga, joined the CSK last year and has been one of the key players in the XI this season.

So far, Pathirana's pin-point yorkers during death overs played a key role in CSK's multiple wins, and former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris has thus made a rather interesting claim on the youngster. Styris believes Pathirana can actually better Malinga's performances, explaining that the former's ability to bowl at quicker speeds can benefit him in the long run.

Speaking on JioCinema, the former Kiwi star stated Malinga's peak as a bowler lasted 3-4 years, stating that his pace began to decline following that, which made it relatively easier for batters to tackle his yorkers.

"I think Pathirana could be better than Malinga. I accept that it's a massive call because he's too early in his career. He's not as accurate as Malinga yet, but Malinga was at his best when he was bowling at 145kph. And he only had about 3 or 4 years where that was the case. When he had that speed, and then the change-ups came, you had to respect that pace. When his top speed was down to 135, you could probably look at the slower ball more and react to the yorkers," Styris said.

"What we've seen with Pathirana is that he's bowling at 145, 146, 148kph, so he has that natural advantage. He hits the yorkers pretty well. As he naturally evolves and gets more experience, he can hit those yorkers with that action as much as Malinga, but with a quicker speed and the ability for change-ups. He's the exciting talent for Sri Lanka, and exciting talent for CSK," he further added.

Pathirana took two wickets in the side's previous game against Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday, which was eventually called off due to persistent rain in Lucknow.