England spinner Adil Rashid, who is a team-mate of Matheesha Pathirana at Sharjah Warriorz (SW) in the ILT20, praised the young pacer and described him as a match-winner.
Speaking to NDTV, Rashid said he was not surprised that the young pacer was sold for a big sum at the IPL auction.
“Personally, he’s an X-factor bowler and an asset,” the Englishman said. “A real match-winner. It was no surprise that he went for the money he did at the IPL. Credit goes to him.”
Pathirana was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a whopping INR 18 crore at the auction on Tuesday, December 16. The Sri Lankan pacer made his IPL debut for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2022 and has played 32 matches across four seasons, taking 47 wickets at an average of 21.62 and an economy rate of 8.68.
In his most recent match, played a day before the auction, the 22-year-old delivered a match-winning performance for the Warriorz against the Gulf Giants. He took 3/19 at an economy rate of 4.80 to earn the Player of the Match award.
“He has an unorthodox action,” Rashid added. “It’s similar to Lasith Malinga’s, but even more unorthodox. In T20 cricket, you may not need the same consistency as in 50-over cricket. T20 cricket is more about being unpredictable, one ball can be straight, the next can be wide.”
At KKR, Pathirana will reunite with Dwayne Bravo. The two have worked together previously when they were part of CSK.
For the latest sports news follow- Revsportz
