Sri Lanka have produced many bowlers with unorthodox actions over the years, be it Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis or Lasith Malinga.
Fast bowler Malinga has been a particularly inspirational figure with many young bowler across the world attempting to copy his 'slingy' action that bamboozled many batsmen across the world for years.
It hasn’t taken long for the next crop of Malingas to emerge from the island nation, with 17-year-old Matheesha Pathirana making waves on social media with his Malinga-inspired bowling action.
In his debut match for local team Trinity College in a domestic match, Pathirana finished with superb figures of six wickets for just seven runs. More than the figures, the video of his bowling – which bears a striking resemblance to that of Malinga – went viral.
If anything, Pathirana’s bowling action seems even more ‘slingy’ than Malinga’s, if that was even possible.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first Malinga lookalike to emerge from Sri Lanka. Two years ago, Nuwan Thushara became an internet sensation after a video of him blasting away the opposition for his team SSC in the Inter-Provincial Tournament made headlines.
However, since then Thushara has played just five first-class matches. Will Pathirana rise to the top level?