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Coach praises Pereras performance

Dunya News

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has appreciated all-rounder Thisara Perera's performance.

He said he feels the 23-year-old can become a permanent fixture in the Test side.Perera took career-best figures of 6 for 44 as the Lankans won by 76 runs, knocking out the Pakistanis for 204 as they chased 281 for victory at Pallekele. Perera took the first four wickets and decimated the top order.Ford believes Perera, who has played only five Tests since making his debut early last year, has the makings of a class player, and praised the youngster for his hard work with both the ball and bat.The South African said: With the talent he has got and the way he bowled [on Saturday], theres no doubt he can be a regular Test player.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.He is a still a young man and hits the ball extremely hard. He is working harder on his ball-striking ability.Here he showed the best control he has shown with the ball since I have been involved with the team.Thats something the bowling coach has worked hard with him upon, and he has got better and better.Another player who shone on Saturday was Tillakaratne Dilshan, whose 119 not out set the base for the Sri Lankan innings, and made sure they had a high enough total for Perera to bowl at.Ford added of the veteran batsman: What he [Dilshan] did was to work hard through the new ball [phase], and then he was able to capitalise in the later stages of the game.He worked extremely hard on that knock and that laid the foundation for us to get the total we eventually got. He had to work hard as the Pakistan attack one of the best in world cricket.This one is going to be rated as a special knock in his career.The third ODI is on 13 June, with the series now level at one all.