“Shouldn’t Even Get Close”: MS Dhoni Advises Matheesha Pathirana Against Playing Test Cricket

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni didn’t refrain himself from sharing a bold piece of advice with respect to fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana. Dhoni, who was wax lyrical about the 20-year old player, doesn’t want him to be play Test cricket in order to bolster his white-ball career.

Dhoni’s comments on his teammate came less than an hour after legendary Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga expressed awe of Pathirana for picking career-best T20 bowling figures in Indian Premier League 2023 Match 49 against Mumbai Indians today.

Currently into his second season of the IPL, Pathirana has “muscled up” according to Dhoni. Whilst the same is allowing him to bowl at an additional pace, it further adds to the X-factor of a bowler who bowls with a slingy action.

MS Dhoni Advises Matheesha Pathirana Against Playing Test Cricket

Dhoni, who could play a game-changing role in shaping Pathirana’s career from hereon, believes that “amount of cricket” he will play will be crucial for his future. Labeling the right-arm bowler as an “asset” for Sri Lankan cricket, Dhoni is even against Pathirana playing meaningless bilateral ODIs.

“Keep an eye on how much cricket he is playing. I personally feel he is someone who should not play a lot of red-ball cricket. I think he shouldn’t even get close to it,” Dhoni told host broadcaster Star Sports Network during the post-match presentation ceremony after defeating MI by 6 wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on a Saturday evening.

“Even white-ball cricket, [in] 50 overs, he should play as less as possible. [Maybe] Play the big ICC tournaments. Make sure that he’s fit and available for all ICC tournaments. I think he’ll be a great asset for Sri Lanka.”

It is noteworthy only 30 out of Malinga’s 340 international matches across formats belonged to the ancestral format. Former West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards, on the contrary, had played 55 Tests, 50 ODIs and 26 T20Is across an 18-year old international career.

Pathirana, who registered match-winning bowling figures of 4-0-15-3 in the recently concluded match, bagged the Player of the Match award for the first time in the biggest T20 tournament in the world. Readers must note that Pathirana’s 10 wickets this season have come at an average of 20.8, an economy rate of 7.6 and a strike rate of 16.39.