"He has worked very hard and absorbs information very well" -  Sri Lanka's head coach Chris Silverwood praises Matheesha Pathirana

Sri Lanka's head coach Chris Silverwood praised pacer Matheesha Pathirana for his spell in the team's Asia Cup 2023 opener against Bangladesh at the Pallekele International Stadium on Thursday.

Pathirana was the pick of the Sri Lanka bowlers after Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first. The right-arm pacer returned with figures of 4-32, helping Sri Lanka bowl out Bangladesh for just 164 runs in 42.1 overs.

The unorthodox pacer was adjudged the Player of the Match in what was only his fifth ODI appearance. Injuries to Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmanta Chameera, and Lahiru Kumara have left the responsibility of the pace bowling unit down to Kasun Rajitha and Matheesha Pathirana.

Revealing that the coaching unit worked with Pathirana to tweak his run-up a bit, Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood said after their five-wicket win:

"He bowled beautifully. He has had some experience in IPL. He came to World Cup qualifiers with us and worked on bowling with a new ball. We tweaked his run-up a bit, not the action. He has worked very hard and absorbs information very well. It is a pleasure to work with him. He does things his way."

Generally renowned for his exploits in the shortest format of the game, the match-winning spell against Bangladesh will be a huge boost for Pathirana as well as Sri Lanka. The four-wicket haul was also his best figures in List-A cricket so far.

---

"It was difficult to start batting on that wicket" - Chris Silverwood

Bangladesh opted to bat first on a tricky wicket, while Sri Lanka were happy to chase, considering the rain threat in the contest. Shakib Al Hasan and company could not get going as Sri Lanka kept taking wickets at regular intervals. Apart from Matheesha Pathirana, off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana also stepped up with figures of 2-19 off his eight overs.

Assessing that it was hard for the new batters to play initially on the surface, Chris Silverwood said:

"The wicket was okay. It was difficult to start batting on that wicket, but it became easier. We got some swing with the new ball."

Further stating about the team's fielding performance, which was highlighted by a stunning catch by Kusal Mendis to dismiss Shakib, Silverwood said:

"The fielding is an ongoing thing for us. Catches cost us. We are working on it. There is room for improvement. The fielding coach will be pushing for it."

The defending champions will next face Afghanistan in the group stage of the 2023 Asia Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on September 5.