SAVIN PERERA – SACA STAR RECORD BREAKER
- Steven Fletcher
- Jul 16
- 3 min read
THE COUNTRY’S LEADING RUN SCORER IN PREMIER LEAGUE CRICKET
Dogged, elegant, fluent, poised, powerful, prolific and destructive – just a few of many things that easily roll of the tongue when asked to describe Savin Perera, the mild-mannered, stocky and compact left-handed top-order batter, who, for the last four seasons has been plying his trade with SACA, the South Asian Cricket Academy, whilst tirelessly trialling across the county game, in the hope of securing the professional contract that to date has surprisingly eluded him!
Released by Middlesex Cricket at the age of 18, after being a shining light through their County Age Group programme and then in their elite Academy, at this stage of his development Perera was hailed by many as a star of the future - one that was destined for a career at the top of the game.
That view was also shared by the England pathway selectors, who called him up for an Under 19 international tri-series tour of South Africa in December of 2017 ahead of the Under 19 World Cup due to be played in New Zealand early in 2018.
With an impressive 74 against Namibia on his international debut in the alien conditions of Potchefstroom in the North West Province of South Africa, followed by an 84 against South Africa, the selectors had already seen enough, and Perera had earned his place in the England Under 19 World Cup squad, called up alongside the likes of Harry Brook, Tom Banton and Will Jacks – all who have gone on to forge successful county and international careers in the game.
With the door closed at Middlesex, and a brief dalliance with the England pathway seemingly over, Perera spent a year with Nottinghamshire before turning to SACA, where he has been a phenomenal presence in the Academy’s ranks since – a real standout player that can be relied on in almost any game situation!
With almost twenty centuries to his name for SACA to date, and having completed trials, unsuccessfully, with numerous first-class county sides, Perera continues to do all that he can to secure his dream of becoming a professional cricketer.
Only this week his unbeaten 38* in testing batting conditions against Surrey at the LSE Sports Ground in New Malden saw SACA secure an impressive 8-wicket victory over a strong Surrey outfit in the Academy’s first 50-over encounter of the summer.
So, all this said and done, where is Perera’s game now?
Well, put simply, his game is in the best shape it’s ever been!
SACA players are actively encouraged by the Academy to play as much elite level cricket with their Clubs as they can, outside of their commitments to SACA, and since 2024 Perera has been weaving his magic for Cavaliers and Carrington Cricket Club in the Nottinghamshire Premier League.
In one of the most competitive ECB Premier Leagues in the country; regularly playing against first-class players, professional overseas imports, and the highest standard of club players in the game, Perera has shone!
In every year that he has played at ‘Cavs’, he has surpassed 1,000 runs for his Club side. With 1,209 runs in 2024, 1,107 runs in 2025 and already with 1,033 runs in 2026, just a little over halfway through the season, Perera is more prolific now than ever – he’s averaging 93.91 with the bat.
His last four innings for Cavs have been 119* against Mansfield Hosiery Mills CC, 138 against Clipstone CC, 101* against Collingham and District CC, and 120* against Hucknall CC.
His runs for Cavs this year see him currently sat as the leading run-scorer in domestic Premier League Cricket across the whole country, and his appetite for run-scoring shows no sign of letting up – he simply couldn’t be doing any more!
Quite what the future holds for Perera is unknown, although all at SACA see him as the jewel in their crown and someone who more than deserves his chance on the big stage.
His hunger, appetite and passion to make it into the pro ranks are all still there, stronger than ever if anything, and he’s working harder than ever to get his chance – and if there’s any justice in the world, he’ll ultimately get what he deserves.
Until then, Perera will just keep doing what he does – scoring runs for fun!
SACA's Head of Comms, Steve Fletcher, caught up with Savin at Leamington Cricket Club recently to talk us through his journey to date...
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