‘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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