Thisara Perera forces his way into the Test squad - Cricket News Update
Inform all-rounder, Thisara Perera, finally got the nod he was waiting for. The 23-year-old bowler from Colombo has been selected for the upcoming Test series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755. Perera’s recent performances and rise to form has earned him the Player of the
Series accolade in the recently concluded 5-match One Day International (ODI) series against Pakistan.
The Right-arm medium-fast bowler not only rattled the Pakistani batsmen and bagged 11 wickets in the series at an average of 15.54, but also showed glimpses of his batting skills with some big hitting while coming lower down the order. Earlier, Sri Lankan
coach http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Graham-Xavier-Ford-c60657 had expressed his wish to include the all-rounder for the Test team and said that he can establish himself in a Test match arena given his recent consistent performance.
"With the talent he has got and the way he bowled [on Saturday], there's no doubt he can be a regular Test player," Ford said. "His work ethic is good and he knows the areas he has to improve on. I am sure, with the many years he has got ahead of him, he
will become a very effective Test player,” the Sri Lankan coach added.
The comments came after Perera took 6 wickets for 44 runs during the second ODI at Pallekele. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/TM-Dilshan-c2691 struck an unbeaten 119 off 139 balls.
Later, during the fourth ODI, the Lankan bowler stunned Pakistan with a hat-trick, forcing a spectacular batting collapse which helped his team to another emphatic win over the visitors to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Sri Lankan captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DPMD-Jayawardene-c1397
was also full of praise for Perera and said that with time he will only get better. "I have always said that Thisara is an exciting prospect. Even at a young age he showed lot of potential although he hadn't played that much," Jayawardene talking to Sunday
Island.
Even as a batsman, Perera has the all the qualities to become a finisher, his batting position lower down the order allows him to utilize slog overs. Impressed with his batting abilities, his skipper, Jayawardene, likened him to Pakistan's http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482,
who is known for his rare, but stupendous all-round performances.
The first Test of the series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be played at Galle on June 22.
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