Sports
Podi Malinga set for big things
by Rex Clementine
Schoolboy Matheesha Pathirana has become the talk of the town after his new ball burst in the SLC T-20 League that concluded at Pallekele this week. For bowling with a slingy action, Pathirana has been nicknamed Podi Malinga as his action is identical to that of Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga.
Still a schoolboy at Trinity College, Pathirana represented Sri Lanka in the Under-19 World Cup last year at the age of 17. Currently, he is 18 and eligible to play the next World Cup as well and he has been included in the pool.
In the recent T-20 League at Pallekele, SLC Greys had maintained an unbeaten run throughout the league stage and for the final, Head Coach and former Sri Lanka cricketer Upul Chandana decided to throw Pathirana in the deep end. It was a gamble. But young Pathirana came off with flying colours.
Usually playing a final against the big boys, it could add pressure to a teenager but Pathirana had been given license by coach Chandana and captain Dasun Shanaka to go out all guns blazing and he gave his team a superb start.
First, he dismissed danger man Avishka Fernando as the opener was dismissed in the third over of the innings. SLC Reds promoted Seekkuge Prasanna to do some pinch-hitting but that backfired as Pathirana in his next over accounted for the experienced Prasanna and Reds never recovered. Pathirana had derailed Reds’ run chase.
Despite being still at school, Pathirana has been in high demand. In February this year, he had international exposure playing in the T-10 League in UAE and was the youngster player in the competition again in the SLC T-20 League.
Pathirana started his cricket at Ranabima Royal and then Trinity offered him a scholarship for the Under-17 season. He has not looked back since then knocking off batsmen with his raw pace and unusual action. Like Malinga in the good old days, most of Pathirana’s dismissals are either bowled or trapped leg before wicket.
Pathirana is a quick learner. Already he is deceiving batsmen with slower balls, yorkers, wide yorkers, and short balls. Although he is young, several batsmen who played in the tournament seem to have conceded that he is a headache. It certainly is a good headache to have given our recent struggles.
Pathirana is of course not the finished product. There are few concerns about how he lands his foot and his follow-through but he has got time to iron out these deficiencies moving forward.
SLC’s coaches were excellent with the way they managed Lasith Malinga. They had identified him as a 17-year-old. They nurtured him so well for three years before letting him loose against the Aussies in 2004 and he was a terror. Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden , and the rest were struggling. Malinga became an icon from thereon.
All in all, the T-20 League in Kandy was very much the need of the hour. It helped us to identify many young players with potential. Podi Malinga was one of them.
Bangladesh’s veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has finally been cleared of suspect action after suffering months of negativity regarding the same. The 37-year-old had failed the test twice but the latest results suggest that Shakib has finally managed to clear the air around his bowling action.
The development comes as a huge sigh of relief for Shakib who had been excluded for Bangladesh’s Champions Trophy squad as the selectors didn’t want to pick him as a specialist batter. Having been suspended to bowl meant that the all-rounder couldn’t take part of the ICC event which had been earmarked as a farewell tournament for him in international cricket.
The phrase third-time lucky proved right for Shakib who cleared his latest bowling action test in England. When contacted by Cricbuzz, he confirmed the news with an understandable air of happiness.
“The news is right (passing about the bowling test) and I am cleared to bowl again,” Shakib said.
Shakib’s bowling action first came under scrutiny during a County Championship match for Surrey against Somerset in September 2024. Subsequently, the England and
Wales Cricket Board [ECB] suspended him following an independent evaluation that declared his action illegal.
Shakib then underwent two separate reassessments, first in England and then in India, failing both attempts, following which he was suspended from bowling.
Sri Lanka at World Indoor Athletics Championships
In the absence of Aruna Dharshana, Kalinga Kumarage is shouldering an extra burden in living up to the reputation of Asian Champions in the 4×400 metres relay when the World Indoor Championship commences in Nanjing China on Friday.
The men’s 400 metres is Sri Lanka’s biggest strength in track and field events though two javelin throwers currently dominate world athletics top lists for the 2025 season. With the track and field season still in its start, the country’s top sprinters were yet to flex their muscles when the opportunity arose for the 400 metres sprinters to compete at the World Indoor Championships.
Kalinga Kumarage
Kumarage is the only experienced campaigner in the men’s 4×400 metres relay team scheduled to compete against world leading USA, Jamaica, Hungary, Nigeria and China in the men’s 4×400 metres final. Both Aruna Dharshana and Kalinga Kumarage had been involved in some of the fastest relay performances for Sri Lanka at international arena including the Asian Games, Asian Championship and Asian Relays. But Dharshana is not available for the event as he is currently competing in Australia. Kumarage is the only member from the gold winning team at last year’s Asian Relays competing in Nanjing. However, it will be a huge opportunity for Randima Madushan and the two juniors Sadew Rajakaruna and Omel Shashintha when they brush shoulders against top sprinters in a global final.
Apart from the relay, Kalinga will also compete in the men’s 400 metres where he will look to produce a top performance in a bid to improve his rankings.
Sri Lanka is fielding its biggest contingent to a world indoor championship this year. The team is inclusive of sprinter Chamod Yodasinghe who will compete in the 60 metres, hurdler Kaveesha Bandara (60 m hurdles) and the men’s and women’s 4×400 metres relay teams.
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Rajakaruna clarifies on behalf of Dharshana
Asanka Rajakaruna, the coach of leading 400 metres specialist Aruna Djarshana said that his charge was unaware of the 4×400 metres relay invitation extended by World Athletics to Sri Lanka for this week’s World Indoor Championships.
He said this with reference to our article on Tuesday which quoted a Sri Lanka Athletics official as having said that Dharshana had decided to stay in Australia to complete his commitments and was not available for the World Indoor Championships.
“We were not informed about the World Indoor Championships. We have always given priority to national duty. Dharshana would have taken the opportunity with open arms had he been informed of the opportunity to compete at the World Indoor Championship,” Asanka Rajakaruna told The Island.
Sri Lanka received the invitation to include relay teams for the World Indoor Championships well after Aruna Dharshana left for Australia.
by Reemus Fernando
Sri Lanka Athletics has invited India, the Philippines and the Maldives for next month’s Relay Championships conducted by Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association in a bid to provide the men’s 4×400 metres relay quartet with a chance to reach qualifying standards for the World Relays.
Currently Sri Lanka men’s 4×400 metres relay team is within the required ranking position to compete at the prestigious World Relays taking place in Guangzhou, China. The 3:04.48 seconds finish to win the gold medal of the men’s 4×400 metres at the Asian Relays in May last year has placed Sri Lanka in the 31st position in the ‘Road to Guangzhou’ rankings.
But with many competitions coming up within the next couple of months Sri Lanka Athletics wants to leave no stone unturned in their quest to keep the ranking position within the qualifying range.
The teams in the first 32 positions according to the times produced within the qualifying period (January 1, 2024 to April 13, 2025) become eligible for the World Relays taking place on May 10 and 11 in Guangzhou.
Sri Lanka’s chances of improving the current standings (31st) at this week’s World Indoor Championship in China are minimal as Olympian Aruna Dharshana, who is the fastest of the current crop of athletes will not be available for the event.
Dharshana is currently training and competing in Australia. He is looking forward to reach qualifying standards or reach the required ranking position for World Championships in the 400 metres.
The World Athletics has set a tough standard of 44.85 seconds for the men’s 400 metres. While only 17 are selected through direct qualifying standards, 31 athletes are selected through rankings for the 400 metres. Dharshana is yet yo enter rankings to be eligible for the World Championships.
Sri Lanka Athletics will field Dharshana, Kalinga Kumarage, S.B.R. Madushan and Sadew Rajakaruna for the relay event in April.
by Reemus Fernando
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