Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer Matheesha Pathirana's stunning yorkers stood out even as Delhi Capitals (DC) managed to reach 191/5 against CSK batting first in match 13 of the Indian Premier League at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. (Live Updates | Full Coverage)
Pathirana's two toe-crushing yorkers in three balls in the 15th over were the highlight of the inning.
Delhi were cruising at 134/2 in 14.3 overs when Pathirana got rid of Mitchell Marsh on the fourth ball of the over with a 150 kmph rocket right under the Australian's toes.
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Marsh was rushed by the pace and found his middle stump uprooted in no time. The right-hander scored 18 off 12 balls before getting out.
The new man in, Tristan Stubbs, could only play one ball before another slinging 149 kmph yorker sent his stumps flying out of the ground. The South African departed for a duck and within two balls Pathirana had not just changed the game but also bowled two breathtaking deliveries to shatter the stumps both times.
Former West Indian pacer and now commentator Ian Bishop describe the two yorkers as balls of the "highest class."
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"I don’t jump out of my seat very often during commentary; but those two Yorkers by Matheesha Pathirana to Marsh and Stubbs were of the highest and most spectacular class," Bishop wrote on X.
Pathirana had earlier in the game played a part in the dismissal of a well set David Warner by taking a spectacular catch at third man. The Sri Lankan pacer also took the wicket of DC skipper Rishabh Pant to finish with figures of 31/3 in his four-over spell.
For DC, Pant (51) scored his first half-century since his return to competitive cricket at the start of this IPL season. The opening pair of David Warner, who scored 52 off 35 balls, and Prithvi Shaw (43) put up a solid foundation for the Capitals by stitching a 93-run stand. The final flourish from Pant took DC to 191.
