CSK has found a new weapon primed to fire at will in Matheesha Pathirana and the comparisons with Lasith Malinga is already driving him to the top. It is understandable that the young sensation is serving the purpose of CSK’s requirement of a raw fast bowler but only time shall reveal that how good he will be when the time comes.
But then this is just the beginning. Cricket is a game that comes with countless twists and windings and there is no fixed storyline for anyone. There have been cricketers who have started on a phenomenal note only to fizzle away into oblivion midway. And there have been cricketers who were touted to scale greater heights but only drift in and out of prominence after trysts with mediocrity.
Here are three reasons why the fans should stop comparing Matheesha Pathirana with Lasith Malinga if they want him to proliferate, particularly for Sri Lanka.
#1 Matheesha Pathirana is his own brand
Malinga may be one of the rarest finds of Sri Lanka but that doesn’t mean Pathirana will have to be him. He can be even better. At least with the kind of weapons that he comes into the yard, he can simply light it up like none other. He has toe-crushing yorkers, nerve-wrecking bouncers and the nasty pace that would leave you fazed and intimidated if you are a batter facing him.
#2 These are two different personalities
You may be a huge fan of Malinga but he is not the ultimatum. Even after Aravinda de Silva being the benchmark of Sri Lankan batting once, Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene did arrive. Even after Chaminda Vaas setting up the standards pretty top, there was a Malinga who conquered it all. So let’s keep Pathirana aside for his own greatness and not what Malinga achieved.
#3 Please do not create unnecessary pressure on the kid
This is a youngster who is hoping to put things to the line. But at the end of it all one needs to understand and stop the unnecessary comparison. One needs to realise that he will grow with time and will find his own footing. Creating unnecessary pressure would simply leave him walking in a direction that you would not want.
