Matheesha Pathirana's release is much lower than that of Lasith Malinga, puts immense strain on his back: Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his worry about Matheesha Pathirana's bowling action which puts "immense strain on his back". Pathirana was one of the finds of the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year as he picked up 19 wickets at an average of 19.20 from 12 matches and helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) win a record-equaling fifth title.

The pacer suffered a hamstring injury during the second T20I between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Sylhet on March 6 and according to a report in Times of India, he is set to miss the first four to five weeks of action in IPL 2024. Pathirana's slingy action has been compared to that of his legendary compatriot, Lasith Malinga. However, Tamil Nadu off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin noted that Pathirana releases the ball from a much lower height and it puts his back under a lot of pressure.

"One problem that he has but Malinga doesn’t have is that his angle of release is much lower. That puts immense strain on his back, and his front leg literally collapses when he releases the ball; the core gets worked up too much, and it is very strenuous. Lasith Malinga goes for a beautiful side-on position. His back and feet will be parallel to the crease. But Pathirana doesn’t get that. The action is breaking, it is rotating, and the torque is huge," Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Lasith Malinga himself told me that he’s a great prospect: Ravichandran Ashwin

Furthermore, Ravichandran Ashwin revealed that he had a discussion with Malinga regarding Pathirana. The retired pacer told Ashwin that the youngster is a great prospect. The Indian icon acknowledged that it was quite difficult to face Pathirana because of his unorthodox action. However, the veteran spin legend was seemingly worried about the Kandy-born's well-being if he continued with the action.

"I understand the complexity of facing him is different, but he’s facing different problems now. This might be just his early stages, and his body needs to fill up more, but he is getting into some dangerous positions and complications. In fact, I've worked so much with Malinga, and Malinga himself told me that he’s a great prospect, but he gets into awkward positions, which is what I feel," Ashwin stated.

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Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings will begin their title defence on Friday, March 22, in a high-octane clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the renowned MA Chidambaram Stadium, at Chepauk in Chennai.