Matheesha Pathirana is someone who grabbed plenty of eyeballs when he made his debut for CSK in the last IPL season and he was also a part of the Sri Lanka squad for the recent Asia Cup, but the Sri Lankan selectors have now left the young speedster out of the squad for the T20 World Cup 2022.
Pathirana had actually dismissed the Gujarat Titans opener, Shubman Gill, on his very first delivery in his debut IPL game for CSK. Because of his slingy action and his ability to bowl yorkers, the CSK skipper and India’s former World Cup winning captain MS Dhoni had called Pathirana “baby Malinga”.
The Sri Lankan selectors then drafted Pathirana into the national T20 squad as well and he even played for Sri Lanka in their first game in the Asia Cup against Afghanistan, but he went for a few runs in that game and had to sit out for the remaining games of the tournament.
Sri Lanka, thereafter, tried a couple of other young fast bowlers Asitha Fernando and Pramod Madushan, along with the left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka and the latter two turned out very impressive for them. While Madushan got 4 wickets in the final match against Pakistan, Madushanka bowled a spell of 3 for 24 against India which proved to be a match-winning spell in the end.
Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup squad:
Shanaka (C), Gunathilaka, Nissanka, Mendis, Rajapaksa, Chameera, Asalanka, Dhananjaya, Hasaranga, Theekshana, Vandersay, Chamika, Lahiru Kumara, Madhushanka and Madushan.
AdvertisementReserves – Bandara, Jayawickrema, Chandimal, Binura and Nuwanidu Fernando.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 16, 2022
Sri Lanka has picked 5 fast bowlers for T20 World Cup 2022
Pathirana, along with Madushan and Madushanka, might have retained his place in the Sri Lankan squad for the T20 World Cup, but with the return of Sri Lanka’s two senior fast bowlers Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara, both of whom were injured for the Asia Cup, Pathirana and Asitha Fernando had to vacate their spots.
Madushan and Madushanka, however, have retained their places in the World Cup squad, while Chamika Karunaratne has been picked as the 5th fast bowler and the lone seam-bowling allrounder.
