Cricket: Matheesha Pathirana claims first-ball wicket at IPL debut

Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana made the perfect start to his IPL and T20 franchise career when the Chennai Super Kings bowler dismissed Gujarat’s Titan’s Shuban Gill for a leg-before-wicket in the former’s first ball of his first outing.

The wicket fell when Pathirana, earning popularity for his slinging action, bowled a near-full-length delivery, beating the batsman and the ball was seemingly heading towards the leg stump.

After a loud and convincing appeal by the 19-year-old Trinitian, the umpire wasted no time to rule him out. However, Gill instantly went for a review. Nevertheless, though, the Decision Review System indicated and gave a conclusive picture that the ball was hitting leg and it was curtains for the top-order Gujarat Titans batter.

Popular commentator, Pommie Mbangwa, commentating during that instance was heard screaming, “Oh…that’s close. That’s very close. It’s gone! What a start!”

“Pathirana! Ohhh…what about that for a start! Absolutely fantastic! It’s Shubman Gill, who’s gone for 18,” he went on, when the wicket was confirmed.  

Lanka’s U19 cap did not stop with that, but soon returned getting rewarded catching a big fish.  

For his second wicket, too, it was the exact repeat, when he dismissed his counterpart captain – Hardik Pandya – off Pathirana’s first-ball. The hard-hitting all-rounder was caught at mid-off for seven.   

The youngster, the sixth Lankan this season, and the youngest Lankan all-season, was drafted into the five-times winning side midway through the best and the biggest cricket league.

The unorthodox bowler, in fact, gave his side the first wicket in the first-ball of the eighth over.