SL v NZ | Dilruwan Perera returns from injury for second Test
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Dilruwan Perera has recovered just in time for the final Test of the series against New Zealand and has been included in the squad. The off-spinner has an impressive record at home and his contributions will turn out to be crucial, especially if Akila Dananjaya is made unavailable for selection.
Having been sidelined for the first Test at Galle which Sri Lanka ended up winning comfortably by six wickets, Dilruwan Perera will be expected to make a comeback into the starting lineup having been included in the squad for the match at P Sara Oval.
The 37-year-old has 38 caps for the lions in red ball cricket from which he has managed to accumulate an impressive tally of 153 wickets. He is the fastest bowler from the country to reach the landmark of 100 wickets, doing so in just 25 matches. He is handy with the bat as well and is capable of playing meaningful cameos lower down the order.
However, he has not been particularly successful internationally as of late, picking up a total of six wickets in the team’s last two tours of Australia and New Zealand in 2018. Yet, his selection was almost assured if he was available considering the degree of success he has had at home. More than 100 of his wickets have come in Sri Lanka itself, as he hit the milestone last year by taking his 100th wicket in the country against England in what only his 20th match on home soil. He ended up taking 38 wickets in the two series he played at home last year against South Africa and England comprising of two and three matches respectively.
In their triumphant performance at Galle, the team’s other off-spinner Akila Dananjaya was reported by the umpires for his action which will now have to undergo testing within 14 days. He was also banned from bowling in the middle of last year after his bowling action was determined to be illegal before he was allowed to return earlier this year. There are now clouds over his availability for the second match and having operated as one of the team’s strike bowlers, Perera has returned just in time to fill the void that Dananjaya might leave behind.
