Chennai Super Kings bowling coach Eric Simons defended Matheesha Pathirana in the middle of his disappointing form this IPL season, saying that opposition strikers have started to read and adapt to him better. On Wednesday, the fivefold champions were eliminated from the IPL Play Off when they lost against the Punjab Kings, their eighth defeat in 10 outings. Pathirana, known for his Slingy action, lost control he had in the previous season. Earlier, the CSK head coach said that the reason for a drop in form was due to a change of action.
“It was fairly well documented that there was a little change of action. But he is almost back to the place where he was and just in terms of his arm on a reasonably coherent basis,” said Simons at the post-match press conference.
“I’m not sure it is less precise. Strikers play it much better. We can certainly see a trend in the way the strikers play against him, especially against Mumbai the other day.
“The technique they use, they understand what his plans and what he does,” he added.
Pathirana took nine counters at an average of 33.11 and a saving of 10.39 in eight matches this season. He was also guilty of bowling several large.
Simons feels that the Sri Lankan stimulator must evolve because the strikers have found a way to score against him.
“So evolution, could be the next step for him in a tactically way as to what he must do to continue to evolve. Strikers must continue to evolve, the quieurs must continue to evolve.
“Tonight, his channels are quite good. His lines are quite good. Obviously, he had his length, he would prefer a more complete length, but the drummers treat him differently this year.” Simons believes that CSK must be “tactically more intelligent” in crucial moments to win matches.
“I think that as a team, throughout the stick and bowling alley, there are small areas that we want to try to find more precise on what we want to do. But as a unit, the guys have almost played their work.
“It is a question of winning these big overs. From time to time, you are sitting there and go, if we are very tight here, the game changes.
“Sometimes you move away in the last ball or in the last last ball and sometimes don’t understand how to get out of an end. I think that tactically more intelligent in key moments is probably some of the growth areas on which we still have to work.”
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