The Emergence of a New Superstar

By Harsha Amarasinghe

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been quite popular in Sri Lanka this year. For the first time in many years there are six players involved in five different teams and on Sunday, the entire cricket fraternity was thrilled by the emergence of a new star – Matheesha Pathirana.

Pathirana first came to the limelight when he appeared to have bowled a delivery at 175kmph during one of the junior matches, which was then considered a technical fault. Since then the right-arm fast-bowler, who has a slingy bowling action, has been a consistent performer for the Sri Lanka Under 19 team. However, the 19-year-old was handed his debut last week by Chennai Super Kings and the youngster repaid the faith shown in him by MS Dhoni picking up a wicket on his very first delivery.

It’s understood that Maheesh Theekshana, who has also had a great IPL season (2022), played a part in CSK signing his compatriot, which is heartening to see especially at a time the so-called legends of Sri Lanka cricket have opted to ignore Sri Lankan players absolutely.

The teenager seems to have a great future ahead of him. CSK should be given the credit for scouting and identifying the potential of a player who is nowhere near the national setup, but what does this say about Sri Lanka’s national selectors?

Departure of a Legend

While the rise of Pathirana was delightful, cricket fans all over the world were shocked to learn of the sudden demise of Australian great Andrew Symonds who sadly passed away following a car crash.

The Queenslander was regarded as one of cricket’s best all-rounders for his ability. As a batsman he was known as a hard hitter but his match winning knock of 91 off 118 against Sri Lanka in the semi-finals of the 2003 Cricket World Cup was a fine example of him being able to play the anchor role. As a bowler he could bowl medium-fast as well as some off-spinners while lightning fast in the field. Andrew Symonds you will be missed.

Watch out for Newcastle

Newcastle United, for the last couple of decades, was best known for its representation in the movie Goal. But since the Saudi take over they have certainly looked like a team that would challenge the top four of the English Premier League within the next few years.

On Monday they ripped apart an Arsenal team that was desperate to win in order to boost their chances of qualifying to the Champions League next season. But Mikel Arteta, and his young squad, were totally dominated in a 2-0 win by the Magpies.

Eddie Howe has already brought in some fantastic players to the club including the Brazilian sensation Bruno Guimarães and with Saudi money one could only expect them to sign even more come the next season. As the Newcastle legend Alan Shearer said, they may not be in the top four next season but they certainly have the potential to be the ‘best of the rest’

Unlucky Angelo

Angelo Mathews’ monumental century against Bangladesh in the ongoing Test match had a heart-breaking end when the middle order batsman was dismissed for 199 with which he became the first Sri Lankan since Sanath Jayasuriya to get out one short of a double century.

Mathews played brilliantly throughout his innings and considering the way Bangladesh are batting, it is fair to say Sri Lanka could have been in bigger trouble if not for his superb effort.

However, about a year ago, Mathews’ career appeared to be coming to a premature end following a contract dispute with the cricket board and some personal matters he needed to take care of. However, Mathews has managed to put an end to all that and continues to play for Sri Lanka. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Main photo: Sling-armed Matheesha Pathirana took two wickets on his IPL debut, including one off the first delivery he bowled (Pic courtesy BCCI)