‘Extreme Malinga’: Sri Lankan teen’s stunning IPL entrance – by Martin Smith Source:cricket.com.au Raw 19-year-old slinger could have Australia in his sights next month after Chennai debut that impressed MS Dhoni A teenager labelled ‘Mini Malinga’ has made an instant impact on his debut in the Indian Premier League and Australia may well get a closer look at him on their tour of Sri Lanka next month. Nineteen-year-old Matheesha Pathirana dismissed Indian stars Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya playing for the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday night, finishing with figures of 2-24 from 3.1 overs. With a highly unusual bowling action that has been labelled “an even more extreme example of (Lasith) Malinga”, Pathirana’s debut came despite having played just two senior T20 matches previously. His action is undoubtedly like Malinga’s, but Chennai skipper Ms Dhoni says the comparisons to the Sri Lankan legend don’t end there. “He is an ...

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  Lankans castled by Astle and Kiwis ‘malinguered’ by MALINGA Source:-cricketique Sri Lanka Innings WIA Fernando…. b Astle …..6 ………..Over 6.4 bowled’m with a wrong’un! Avishka didn’t pick that up at all. It pitched around length outside off, turned in a fair bit and Avishka was on the back foot to steer it away after it turned away but it went the other way to knock over off stump 39/2 MD Gunathilaka ….. b Astle ………..30 …….Over 8.5 another wrong’un and another one beaten! ……This time it’s the well-set Gunathilaka. He pitched it nicely and slow with some flight on leg stump, Gunathilaka went back to defend it but the ball turned away and knocked over the stumps 50/3 THUPPAHI DICTIONARY “malinguered”refers to an in-dipping and swinging yorker perfected by a former beach cricket bowler named Lasith Malinga of Ratgama — a ball that has shattered and clattered many stumps or smashed toes to secure a painful lbw … and thereby ...

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    Angelo Mathews and the craziest ball of the 2019 World Cup – Andrew Fidel Fernando at Chester-le-Street Source: CricInfo Gather round, kiddos. Let me tell you a story about Sri Lankan cricket. What would you like to hear? The story about how Dimuth Karunaratne, who hadn’t played ODI cricket for four years, became captain for the 2019 World Cup. Ah, that is a good one. Crazy, no? Unbelievable even. All the things you want in a good story. Or what about the tale of the Sri Lankan selectors who picked about five wrong players in a squad of 15 for the tournament? That is not that hard to believe, I suppose, but it’s not bad as well. But actually, lamayi, the one I’m thinking about is even better than those two. It’s dramatic. It’s funny. It’s colourful. It is hauntingly sad and fabulously uplifting at the same time. Like ...

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South Africa bounce back in the first one-dayer as the Lankans discover the good, the bad and the ugly – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. Trevine-Rodrigo BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE Sri Lanka can celebrate the good, the bad and the ugly since their fantastic Test series win over South Africa after a dismal batting performance gave the home team a morale boosting effortless win in the first one-dayer in Johannesburg. That Test success appears to be quickly fading into a distant memory unless the plucky Lankans can discover a winning combination to be competitive in the four games ahead. The good was the discovery of a brilliant new talent in debutant Oshada Fernando who followed his Test series heroics with a masterly 49 before being unfortunately run out. His stroke play and cool , calm confidence overshadowed many of the more experienced campaigners in the squad as he deftly handled ...

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