Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana opened up about the changes in his bowling action after the first T20I against England. Patialana admitted that the injury disrupted his rhythm and made it difficult for him to regain confidence and return to form, adding that his release point will naturally adjust as his body recovers.

Sri Lanka lost the first T20I of the three-match series by 11 runs in the DLS at Pallekele on Friday, January 30. Pathirana made a strong impact with the ball, finishing with figures of 1 for 18 in four overs, and they might have picked up another wicket had Pathum Nissanka not caught the ball at deep.

It was a challenging time due to my injuries – Matheesha Pathirana

While Mathesha Pathirana’s release point isn’t quite back to where it was before, his control has improved. Patialana talked about a tough year to year and a half due to injuries. He thanked Lasith Malinga for his guidance and Sri Lanka cricket coach for his support.

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“Even though I had practiced playing on the power play, I had no plans to play there today,” Patialana said after the game. “It just so happened that our score was lower than we wanted, so it was decided that I would go on the power play.”

“The last year and a half, with my injuries, it’s been a challenging time,” he said. “I lost my rhythm. It took a lot of hard work to get back to this level. Recently, Lasith Malinga helped me in Sri Lanka and all the coaches at SLC – not just one – they all helped me get here.”

Not doing anything big, just simple – Matheesha Pathirana returns

Matheesha Pathirana said Lasith Malinga, who was Sri Lanka’s fast bowling coach before the T20 World Cup, played a key role in his progress. Patirana said there were no major changes in his movements, but he did simple basics.

“Honestly, I didn’t do anything huge, just simple, basic things,” Patilana said. “Mainly just increasing the reps in practice. If anything, that’s why. Practice-wise, I’ve increased it significantly.”

Due to injuries and declining form, Patialana played only two T20 matches for Sri Lanka in 2025. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) released him after the 2025 Indian Premier League. Later, Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for a whopping Rs 18 crore.

Playing with a pretty serious shoulder injury – Matheesha Pathirana changes bowling action

Matheesha Pathirana faced criticism during his lean phase, with some questioning his release point. Patialana said the change in his action was not planned but happened because he was dealing with a serious shoulder injury. He added that it was returning to its original position.

“Yeah,” he responded when asked if his release point had changed. “Recently, I had a pretty bad shoulder injury in a game. So I think my body automatically changes the release point. Even now I’m rehabbing between games and I think that’s why I’m seeing improvement, so you can see the release point is getting back to where it was before.”

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