SL U19 fast-bowler Matheesha unsure about speed of ’’fastest’’ delivery

Sri Lankan Under-19 pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana was ‘unsure’ about the speed at which he bowled during the opening match of the ICC Under-19 World Cup against India Under-19 played in Bloemfontein, South Africa on Sunday.

The 17-year- old right-arm fast bowler came into the limelight for his sensational bowling speed and was reported to have surpassed the current world record held by Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar.

"I can't give an accurate answer (about the speed) because the decision is still pending," he said on Tuesday.

"If the speed is proved to be a record, it will be a great moment for all of us," he added.

However, the bowler will not be able to enjoy that great moment.

"There was a temporary glitch in the system, which resulted in the speed showing more than it was," one of the sources aware about the latest development, said yesterday.

"The International Cricket Council (ICC) has not given any update on the delivery but the delivery doesn’t seem to be more than 140 kilometres per hour.”

“This is definitely a fault of the speedometer. One such incident had happened before as well when the speedometer recorded Pakistani pacer Mohammad Sami’s ball as 164 kilometres per hour. However, officials later found out that there was a fault in the speedometer.”

“The ball didn't even look that particularly fast, so we can safely assume that it's an error from the speed gun. And even if it was a record, it would be a fairly useless one since the ball in question was a wide,” the source said. 

(Bipin Dani)