28 October,2021 07:39 AM IST | Dubai | AFP
SL spinner Maheesh Theekshana. Pic/Getty Images
Sri Lanka mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana will attempt to bamboozle Australia at the T20 World Cup on Thursday with coach Mickey Arthur backing the 21-year-old to "pose some questions".
Theekshana claimed eight wickets in three qualifying matches last week as Sri Lanka, the 2014 champions, swept into the Super 12 stage.
However, a back injury ruled him out of the five-wicket win over Bangladesh at the weekend in a game where his team surrendered 171 runs. On the low, slow wickets of the Gulf, spinners are key, even more so when they come armed with a bag full of tricks.
"He's a quality bowler, he's a mystery bowler. He's still young. He's still making his way in the game," said Arthur of Theekshana, who only made his international debut in September. "If you haven't seen Maheesh, he certainly poses some questions. He has a couple of different balls that do make you quite hesitant if you can't pick them. So it will be an interesting contest tomorrow."
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Theekshana not only bowls traditional off-spin. He has mastered the googly and carrom ball, the aerodynamically challenging delivery which is produced by flicking the ball out from between the thumb and the bent middle finger.
Arthur, meanwhile, is on a personally impressive winning run in the UAE due to his three-year spell coaching Pakistan when the Asian giants were exiled in the Gulf
due to the security situation at home.
He has 15 successive T20 wins to his name and if he gets to 16 on Thursday, it will be particularly sweet as he also coached Australia from 2010 until he was sacked in 2013.
Australia's fast bowler Mitchell Starc was seen limping off with an injured leg in the training held at the ICC Academy on Tuesday night in Dubai, UAE. Starc played in Australia's opening game win against South Africa but was not at his usual lethal best.
Also Read: T20 World Cup: Theekshana has lot more to offer, believes SL skipper Shanaka
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