Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana has opened up about changes to his bowling action after the first T20I against England. Pathirana admitted that injuries disrupted his rhythm and made it difficult to regain confidence and return to form, adding that his release point adjusted naturally as his body recovered.
Sri Lanka lost the first T20I of the three-match series by 11 runs under the DLS method in Pallekele on Friday, January 30. Pathirana made a strong impact with the ball, finishing with figures of 1 for 18 in four overs, and could have had another wicket if Pathum Nissanka had not dropped a catch in the deep.
With My Injuries, It Was a Challenging Period – Matheesha Pathirana
Matheesha Pathirana showed an improvement in control even though his release point has not fully returned to what it was earlier. Pathirana spoke about a difficult year to year-and-a-half due to injuries. He credited guidance from Lasith Malinga and support from coaches at Sri Lanka Cricket.
Your daily dose of cricket!
“Even though I’ve practiced to bowl in the powerplay, there was no plan as such for me to bowl there today,” Pathirana said after the game. “It just so happened that our score was lower than we wanted, so it was decided that I would bowl in the powerplay.”
“Over the last year, year-and-a-half, along with my injuries, it was a challenging period,” he said. “I lost my rhythm. I’ve worked very hard to get back to this level. And then more recently Mali aiya [Lasith Malinga] was here in Sri Lanka helping out, as well all the coaches at SLC – not just one – all of them helped me get here.”
Didn’t Do Anything Major, Just Simple – Matheesha Pathirana on His Comeback
Matheesha Pathirana said that Lasith Malinga, who is working as Sri Lanka’s fast-bowling coach ahead of the T20 World Cup, has played a key role in his progress. Pathirana stated that no major changes were made to his action, but he worked on simple basics.
“Honestly I didn’t do anything major, just simple, basic things,” Pathirana said. “The main thing was increasing the number of repetitions in practice. If there is any improvement, that’s the reason. In terms of practice I increased it greatly.”
Pathirana played only two T20Is for Sri Lanka in 2025 due to injuries and a dip in form. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) released him after the Indian Premier League 2025. Later, Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for a whopping Rs 18 crore.
Playing With a Fairly Major Shoulder Injury – Matheesha Pathirana on Changed Bowling Action
Matheesha Pathirana faced criticism during his lean phase, with questions raised about his release point. Pathirana said that the change in his action was not planned and happened because he was dealing with a serious shoulder injury. He added that it is returning to where it used to be.
“Yes,” he responded when asked if his release point had changed. “In the recent past, I was playing with a fairly major shoulder injury. So I think my body just automatically changed the release point. Even now I am doing rehab in between matches, and I think that’s why I’m seeing an improvement, and so you can see that the release point is getting to what it used to be.”
Also read: Gautam Gambhir rattled as Temba Bavuma fires deadly warning