Finishing games has become a habit now: Thisara Perera

Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera once again proved why he is the one to watch out for, when it comes to finishing games. Perera slammed a six to finish off the 2nd T20I against World XI yesterday. World XI leveled the series with a ball to spare, after Pakistan posted a target of 175 in 20 overs.

Perera scalped two wickets and remained unbeaten on 47* off 19 balls to lift his side to a 7-wicket win. The Sri Lankan shared an unbeaten 69-run stand with opener Hashim Amla, who remained unbeaten on 72*.

“It is an honor to be selected for the World XI side, it was my dream. Hash (Amla) told me to stay until the end so that we could cash in. Normally I play similarly in situations for my country as well and this (finishing off games) has become a habit now. Thanks to the Pakistani fans, they really cheered well for us,” said Perera after he was awarded the Man of the Match.

“We needed it to keep the cup alive. I thought we bowled much better and kept them to a lower score. You always need someone to ensure that we do not collapse; quite the one we did not have yesterday. That’s what Amla did, he was steady and took us through. Last night we were disappointed that we did not do well but am glad that we came back strong. I expect the third match to be in similar conditions and hope to continue the form,” said skipper du Plessis.

Sloppy work in the field

Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed praised Amla, on his match-winning knock and said, “We have to give credit to the World XI. Hashim–bhai played beautifully. This is a learning opportunity for all of us, it will teach the bowlers how to bowl in tough situations to class players like Hash.”

“We were a bit sloppy in the field and that cost us. Had the execution been better, we could have won this match. You should also have a slower length ball in your kitty apart from the yorkers,” told Sarfraz referring to the full-tosses bowled.