MS Dhoni asks Sri Lanka to not play Matheesha Pathirana in Test cricket and rather focus on ICC tournaments
On Saturday, May 6, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai hosted the 49th game of the current Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, featuring a matchup between the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings and the five-time winners Mumbai Indians.
Mumbai Indians’ first innings of the match was a rout at the hands of Chennai’s bowlers. Matheesha Pathirana, a pacer for Sri Lanka, bowled a critical spell, helping the hosts restrict the five-time winners to a low score. Pathirana bowled four overs and ended up with three wickets while only allowing 15 runs.
As a result of his efforts, he was named the game’s Player of the Match. Additionally, in the post-game presentation, Chennai captain MS Dhoni praised Pathirana for his recent efforts. Dhoni said that he believes the 20-year-old should focus on the limited-overs format and avoid red-ball cricket.
“I would prefer him not to play red-ball cricket and play all the ICC tournaments, he would be a great asset for Sri Lanka. He was slightly lean last season and has added muscle this season,” MS Dhoni said in the post-match presentation.
On Saturday, Chennai Super Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by a score of six wickets in the Indian Premier League.
When asked to bat, Mumbai Indians could only muster a disappointing 139 for 8. Nehal Wadhera’s 64 runs off 51 balls was the sole bright spot, while Suryakumar Yadav’s 26 runs off 22 balls was the second-best performance. Skipper Rohit Sharma (0) went scoreless for the second game in a row.
For CSK, wickets were taken by fast bowlers Deepak Chahar (2/18 in 3 overs), Tushar Deshpande (2/26 in 4 overs), and Matheesha Pathirana (3/15 in 4 overs). In response, CSK posted the runs in 17.4 overs, with major contributions from Ruturaj Gaikwad (30 off 16 balls) and Devon Conway (44 off 42 balls).
In other news Brian Lara criticises the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batsmen for the loss against Kolkata Knight Riders
