Better late than never for debutant Dilruwan Perera

All-rounder gets his chance at age of 31 by scoring 95, but he will use first-class experience to bowl Pakistan out over the next two days, reports Paul Radley.

Dilruwan Perera, who scored 95 in Sharjah on Friday, has been picked for his bowling. Satish Kumar / The National

SHARJAH // Dilruwan Perera must have been doubting the truth behind the accepted theory that the best things come to those who wait.

Halfway through his 32nd year and having spent season after season near the summit of Sri Lanka cricket’s domestic bowling charts, he probably feared Tests had passed him by.

Maybe his face just did not fit or he was a little too ordinary. After all, given the success the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga have enjoyed over recent times, it is little wonder Sri Lanka worships unorthodoxy.

Many have been tried as Muralitharan’s long-term successor in Sri Lanka’s off-spin department. Usually each has had a mysterious method, background, or something else.

Ajantha Mendis, Suraj Randiv and Akila Dananjaya, each of whom has been suggested as representing the future of Sri Lankan spin-bowling – and still may – are conspicuous by there absence on this tour.

Perera was instead preferred as back-up to Rangana Herath, the first choice slow bowler for Sri Lanka, as part of the tour party.

He was handed his first cap in Sharjah on the assumption the groundsman might have acquiesced to Pakistan’s wishes and prepared a result-wicket, conducive to spin.

Evidence of turn has been hard to come by so far, but Perera is not complaining.

He has already made a name for himself with the bat, by posting the highest innings by a Sri Lankan debutant in an overseas Test with his 95 on day two.

So what if he missed out on a century when he hooked Mohammed Talha to Junaid Khan on the long leg boundary. He is not complaining.

“I’m feeling great,” said Perera, who shared a stand worth 112 with his captain and club colleague Angelo Mathews, who also holed out with three-figures within reach.

“I’m really happy I got to 95 in my debut game. I couldn’t get 100, but I’m happy about my achievement of 95.”

Perera’s suggestion that he was not bothered that he missed out on a ton jars somewhat with the fact he was visibly crestfallen at the time.

He was so mortified by his dismissal that he did not even think to raise his bat in response to the applause he received on his way off.

It had been a satisfyingly voluble reception, too. On any other day in this series no one would have been here to see his knock, let alone acclaim his effort.

But Friday afternoon at the country’s most accessible cricket venue brought with it a crowd, and then chants of: “Dil-ru-wan, Dil-ru-wan!”

He probably never thought that would happen, having reached 31 years old without having played a Test.

“When you play you get experience, but there are some players that get into the team on talent,” Perera said.

“You have to have those kinds of players, because you need to think about the future, but you need experienced players as well.

“To have played over 10 years in first-class cricket, that is very good experience for me.

“That helped me to play a Test match like this. Playing many years of first-class cricket was good for me.”

If Pakistan are to salvage a tied series by forcing a win here, they will need to bat for at least two days. Even then, getting 10 more wickets on the last day when they only managed nine in 172 overs seems unlikely.

“We will try to give our best,” said Junaid, who was the most successful bowler with three for 81 in 32 overs of toil. “We will put up a big fight. We are not hoping for a miracle change in the pitch.

“We will try to bat for two days and level the scores first. Then hopefully we could be in a position to set them a target on the last day.”