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.
Sports
Dominant Delhi Capitals dethrone Mumbai Indians from top spot

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Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians Women 109/8 in 20 overs (Pooja Vastrakar 26; Marizanne Kapp 2/13, Shikha Pandey 2/21) lost to Delhi Capitals Women 110/1 in 9 overs (Alice Capsey 38*, Shafali Verma 33, Meg Lanning 32*) by 9 wickets.
Sports
Harris, McGrath power UP Warriorz into playoffs

Half-centuries from Grace Harris and Tahlia McGrath powered UP Warriorz into the playoffs as they secured a three-wicket victory in a high-scoring thriller against Gujarat Giants at the Brabourne Stadium on Monday (March 20). UPW went past GG’s total off 178 off the penultimate ball, thus knocking out the Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the process.
Brief scores:
Gujarat Giants 178/6 in 20 overs (Ash Gardner 60, Dayalan Hemalatha 57; Parshavi Chopra 2-29) lost to UP Warriorz 181/7 in 19.5 overs (Grace Harris 72, Tahlia McGrath 57; Kim Garth 2-29) by 3 wickets.
Sports
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Despite a strong resistance by Sri Lanka’s lower order, three wickets apiece by Tim Southee and Blair Tickner helped bundle out the visitors for 358 to help New Zealand clinch the second Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington by an innings and 58 runs, on Monday. With the win, the hosts also sealed the two-match Test series 2-0.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 164 (Dimuth Karunaratne 89; Matt Henry 3-44, Michael Bracewell 3-50) & 358 (Dhananjaya de Silva 98, Dinesh Chandimal 62; Tim Southee 3-51, Blair Tickner 3-84) lost to New Zealand 580/4 decl. (Kane Williamson 215, Henry Nicholls 200*; Kasun Rajitha 2-126) by an innings and 58 runs
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