IPL 2023: 'Want To Make This Guy Even Better Than Me,' Lasith Malinga on Matheesha Pathirana

Sri Lanka legend Lasith Malinga, who is now a bowling consultant with Rajasthan Royals (RR) and had dominated the Indian Premier League (IPL) for many years, praised Chennai Super Kings' death-overs specialist Matheesha Pathirana and said that he wants CSK pacer to be better than him at bowling.

CSK has discovered a jewel in Pathirana. The youngster is a rising star, and the manner he has been weaving his spell around cricket fans all around the world has been nothing short of a spectacular thing. The young pacer has been frequently likened to Lasith Malinga, one of the greatest bowlers Sri Lanka have ever produced. Pathirana has picked 15 wickets in 10 matches for CSK, with an economy rate of 7.56, having bowled mostly at the death.

"I somehow want to make this guy even better than me. I think in the next Test tour, try to get him involved, and give him some ODIs as well. See how he plays in the next three years, and then see what the future course needs to be. If he plays 10 or 15 Tests in the next three years, that will be invaluable to his development," Malinga told ESPNcricinfo.

Pathirana's recent surge for CSK in the IPL 2023 has been making headlines for all the right reasons. He is the ultimate destroyer of timbre, both in his performances and in his self-imposition. He often produces pace of up to almost 140 clicks, and on rare occasions, he will attempt to produce a yorker at the legendary 145 kay mark. These three factors make him the ideal replacement for Lasith Malinga.

"As an example: you know, I only learned that you can dip and reverse the ball at the same time in the last Test that I played, in 2010. Usually they bowl me from the Fort End at Galle, and it's really easy to reverse the ball from that end with the wind coming across the ground. After six years, I finally got a good spell from the Pavilion End, and I learned how to dip and reverse a cricket ball. No one can tell when Matheesha will get those important revelations about his game," Malinga added.

"We're talking about protecting him from playing for Sri Lanka before he's even properly played for Sri Lanka. He's only 20 years old," he said.