Fact Check: Did Sri Lankan Bowler Matheesha Pathirana Bowl 175 Kph Delivery In U-19 WC?

Sri Lanka U-19 fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana shocked everybody during their U-19 World Cup game against India by bowling a wide bouncer which was recorded at 175 kph (108 mph), making it the fastest ball ever bowled by any bowler in across all levels in international cricket.

Though Sri Lanka had to face humiliating defeat at the hands of India, 17-year-old Pathirana made the headlines with his row pace. However, the speed of 175 kmph raised the same question in the minds of cricket fans – Did Pathirana really bowled a 175 kmph delivery or was it any technical error?

Sri-Lankan U19 Pacer Pathirana clocked a stunning 175 kph on the speed gun in #U19CWC match Against India on a Wide Ball.

On the right corner of the screen, the speed of the delivery showed at 108 mph. #INDvSL #INDU19vSLU19 #Cricket #CWCU19 pic.twitter.com/7uKD73zYn0

— Mahirat 🤹ðŸÂÂ (@GOATKingKohli) January 20, 2020

Actually, there was an issue with the speed gun, thus, the delivery bowled by the Sri Lankan quick was not of the 175 kmph in speed and former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar can take a sigh of relief as he still holds the record of fastest ball.

Shoaib Akhtar had bowled the world’s fastest ball at the speed of 161.3 kmph against England during the 2003 World Cup match at Newlands. The record of second fastest ball (161.1 kmph) is jointly held by Brett Lee and Shaun Tait of Australia.

India Start Off U-19 WC Campaign With Impressive Win Against Sri Lanka

In impressive batting performance, topped by a disciplined bowling, saw defending champions India cruise to a 90-run victory over Sri Lanka in an opening group league encounter of the ICC U-19 World Cup here on Sunday.

Batting first, India scored a competitive 297 for 4, riding on half-centuries from their premier batsmen -- opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (59 off 74 balls) and skipper Priyam Garg (56 off 72 balls).

There were significant contributions from vice-captain Dhruv Jurel (52 off 48 balls) and late entrant all-rounder Siddhesh Veer (44 off 27 balls and 2/34 in 6 overs), which took the total close to 300-run mark. The bowlers then kept the Lankan batsmen under check, bowling them out for 207 in 45.2 overs.