IPL 2023: Chaminda Vaas backs MS Dhoni after Malinga disagrees on CSK captain's comment on Matheesha Pathirana

IPL 2023: Chaminda Vaas has backed MS Dhoni's suggestion for CSK's Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana to stay away from the longer formats of the game because of his unusual action which makes him prone to injury.

The comment from Vaas came as Lasith Malinga made a remark in disagreement with Dhoni's comment. In a recent interview with ESPNcicinfo, Malinga who has trained Pathirana since 2020, said that he would want Pathirana to make his Test debut soon.

"MS Dhoni is saying he should just play ICC tournaments. I wonder if he's just saying that for fun (laughs). It's hard to do that when you're playing for the national team. But I would tell him: get your Test cap. Maybe you'll play just one. Maybe you'll play 10. Maybe you will play 100 - who knows?" Malinga said.

Pathirana, a new-gen version of Lasith Malinga, picked three wickets for 15 runs in four overs against Mumbai Indians (MI) on May 6 when Dhoni asserted that the Kandy-born cricketer will serve Sri Lanka for a long time. However, he also minced no words in suggesting that Pathirana should be preserved and kept fit.

"I personally think he is not someone who should play a lot of red-ball cricket. I think he shouldn't even get close to it. Even in white-ball cricket, the 50-over version he should play as less as possible. [He should] play the big ICC tournaments because he is not somebody who will change a lot.

"This [having an impact in short bursts] is what he will do, so you can always use him at crucial times. But make sure that he is fit and available for all ICC tournaments and he will be a great asset for Sri Lanka. Not to forget, he is a really young boy. I feel he will serve for a very long time for Sri Lankan cricket, but we'll have to keep an eye on how much he bowls."

Vaas backs Dhoni

Vaas, A Sri Lanka legend who picked 355 Test and 400 ODI wickets, has now backed Dhoni and said that Pathirana would "not survive" because of his bowling action if he plays all the three formats.

"I was working for Sri Lanka Cricket one year back and I mentioned the same thing to them. A person like Mathi should be preserved. If he played all the formats, he would not survive because of the way he bowls.

"He doesn't have an easy action, a unique action that is very strenuous. So fitness will come into the picture. Bowling four-overs is OK. If you bowl more than that, then the problem will arise, as Dhoni said. I totally agree," Vaas was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

Pathirana will be seen in action for the Dhoni-led CSK in the Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2023 on Tuesday, May 23.