Sri Lanka assistant coach Naveed Nawaz said that IPL opportunities with CSK helped the young pace sensation Matheesha Pathirana become a more mature player under the leadership of MS Dhoni. India will take on Sri Lanka in their second Super Four Asia Cup match on Tuesday.

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In the pre-match press conference, Naveed Nawaz said –

“MS Dhoni and Chennai could have played a part in his development, but Pathirana is the product of SLC. He has played two U19 World Cups for us, he is someone we identified at a young age. He has been in the development programmes of SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket).”

Naveed Nawaz: IPL opportunities have helped Pathirana mature his game

Pathirana has represented CSK in 14 games, taking 21 wickets at an average of 20.14 with best figures of 3/15. In the 2023 season, he took 19 wickets at an average of 12 games with best figures of 3/15.

Nawaz added – “IPL opportunities have helped him mature his game. At 18-19, he got to play under a captain like MS Dhoni.

Nawaz further added –

“I am sure that Matheesha would have learnt a lot from him about handling pressure, being in the centre during big CSK games. It is a good experience. We identified him at an early age, CSK saw something in him and picked up, but there is a contribution of them as well.”