SL vs SA 2018: Thisara Perera opens up on the plan that worked for Sri Lanka in 4th ODI

Sri Lanka won the fourth ODI at Pallakele.

Perera - Shanaka added 109 runs for the seventh wicket. (Getty)

Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera finally inspired his team to pull one back in the series as he delivered in the fourth ODI at Pallakele. Perera scored 51 with the bat first and then took two wickets in a 39 over affair after rain played a spoilsport at the start of the game. 

After a good start, Sri Lankan middle order lost the plot before Perera stepped in. Perera played a much important knock in the middle order and forged an important partnership  with Dashun Shanaka (109) to execute the plan and take them to a 300-plus score.

"As soon as Dasun came, I told him that we shouldn't stop playing our shots," Perera said. "We are both positive batsmen, we planned three overs by three overs at the start. After a while, we realised that we were seeing the ball well. So we decided on a target of 280."

"Dasun was especially good at hitting boundaries, so we were able to pass 300. A 100-run partnership is not easy, because their bowlers were bowling well and we had lost six wickets already. But I told him let's try and hit straight in the first few overs and get ourselves set."

The two hit half-centuries – Perera 51* and Shanaka 65 – in a brisk 109-run stand, which powered Sri Lanka to 306/7 in 39 overs in a match severely affected by rain.

Perera then did it with the ball as well as South Africa lost wickets continually in their chase of 301. 

"In the 15th and 16th overs, we realised that the ball was swinging from one end," Perera, who took 2/32, explained. "The ball was still new. So we decided to bowl wicket-to-wicket from that end, and it's not easy to bat when you bowl like that.

"We planned to stick to that line as fast bowlers because [the batsmen] then have to take the risk to try and hit over the field. What we did in the last few overs was to forget about yorkers, and try to bowl a Test-match line and length. That's what worked for us."

Sri Lanka will look to finish the series with a closer scoreline when the teams meet for the final ODI in Colombo on 12 August.

Brief Scores:

Sri Lanka 306/7 in 39 overs (Dasun Shanaka 65, Thisara Perera 51*, Kusal Perera 51; JP Duminy 2-35) beat South Africa 187/9 in 21 overs (Hashim Amla 40, JP Duminy 38; Thisara Perera 2-32) by 3 runs (DLS method).

 
 

By Anshuman Roy - 10 Aug, 2018

    Share Via