Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana has spoken openly about the change in his bowling action after the first T20 match against England. Pathirana admitted that injuries disrupted his rhythm and made it difficult to gain confidence and return to form, adding that as his body healed, his release point adjusted naturally.
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, taking 1 for 18 in four overs and might have had another wicket had Pathum Nissanka not dropped a catch in the deep.
With my injuries, it was a challenging period – Mathisha Pathirana
Mathiesha Pathirana showed improved control, even if her release point is not completely back to where it was before. Pathirana said that it would be difficult for one to one and a half years due to injuries. He credited the guidance of Lasith Malinga and the support of Sri Lankan cricket coaches.
“Even though I have practiced bowling in the powerplay, I had no plans to bowl there today,” Pathirana said after the game. “It happened that our score was lower than we wanted, so it was decided that I would bowl in the powerplay.”
“Last year, year and a half, with my injuries, it was a challenging period,” he said. “I’ve lost my rhythm. I’ve worked very hard to get back to this level. And then recently Mali Aiya [Lasith Malinga] I was helping here in Sri Lanka, plus all the coaches at SLC – not just one – they all helped me get here.”
Didn’t do anything big, just simple – Mathisha Pathirana on his comeback
Mathisha Pathirana said that Lasith Malinga, who was working as Sri Lanka’s fast bowling coach before the T20 World Cup, has played an important role in his progress. Pathirana said no major changes were made to his action, but he worked on simple fundamentals.
“To be honest, I didn’t do anything big, just did simple, basic things,” Pathirana said. “The main thing was to increase the number of repetitions in exercises. If there is an improvement, this is the reason. In terms of exercises I increased it a lot.”
Pathirana played only two T20Is for Sri Lanka in 2025 due to injuries and decline in form. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) released him after the Indian Premier League 2025. Later, Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for Rs 18 crore.
Playing with a major shoulder injury – Mathisha Pathirana on changed bowling action
Mathiesha Pathirana faced criticism over her lean period, with questions raised about her release point. Pathirana said that the change in his action was not planned and it happened because he was suffering from a serious shoulder injury. He said it is going back to where it used to be.
When asked if his point of release had changed he replied, “Yes.” “In recent times, I’ve been playing with a serious shoulder injury. So I think my body has automatically changed the release point. Even now I’m rehabbing in between matches, and I think that’s why I’m seeing improvement, and that’s why you can see the release point is back to what it used to be.”
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