“He could be the joker in the pack” - Aakash Chopra names pacer who could be a surprise hit at the World Cup 

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra reckons that young Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana could be among the leading wicket-takers in the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. Terming Pathirana as the “joker in the pack” among pacers, Chopra stated that he bowls in good areas and has plenty of variations as well.

Pathirana, 20, is often compared to Lasith Malinga due to his bowling action, which has shades of the Sri Lankan legend. The youngster has claimed 15 wickets in 10 ODIs at an average of 28.73.

While has hasn’t played a lot of international games, he is rated very highly among upcoming talents on the big stage. According to Chopra, Pathirana has a great chance of succeeding in the World Cup because he has the basics in place to be a good fast bowler.

He said [6:53] on his YouTube channel:

“Matheesha Pathirana’s graph has been on the rise. We have seen him struggle against India, but against other teams, he has brought batters down to their knees in exciting fashion. He has got yorkers, round-arm bouncers and good slower ones. Chennai (CSK) have prepared him very well and now he is making Sri Lankan cricket proud."

“He bowls in very good areas, where chances of getting wickets are very high. I feel he could be the joker in the pack. So, Matheesha Pathirana could be that dark horse who claims a lot of wickets. He could be Sri Lanka’s highest wicket-taker,” Chopra added.

Pathirana was one of the stars of Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) IPL 2023 triumph. He claimed 19 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 19.53.

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“If he plays all games, he will claim a lot of wickets” - Aakash Chopra on England’s Mark Wood

Apart from Pathirana, Chopra also backed England speedster Mark Wood [4:50] to claim plenty of wickets in the World Cup in India. While the English pacer has had his issues with fitness, the former India opener asserted that if Wood plays all the matches, he will claim plenty of wickets.

“Mark Wood bowls real fast. He will bowl the difficult overs. He will look to claim wickets in the middle overs. He doesn’t bowl a lot at the death, but with the new ball… He’s a different bowler, a different breed, who bowls at 150 kph. He has issues with fitness, but if he plays all games, he will claim a lot of wickets. He is one to watch out for irrespective of the team he plays for,” Chopra said.

Wood has 71 wickets in 59 ODI matches at an average of 37.88 and an economy rate of 5.42.