Andile Phehlukwayo heaped praise on Dwaine Pretorius after his 3-25 helped the Proteas restrict Sri Lanka to 203 all out in their World Cup clash at Chester-le-Street.

Despite being discarded after the tournament opener against England, the bowling all-rounder used the intervening period to put in the hard yards in the nets and ensure that he remained sharp and well-prepared should a recall to the matchday XI materialise.

When it finally did, albeit in a dead-rubber, Pretorius was outstanding. After Kagiso Rabada gave the Proteas the perfect start with a wicket off the first ball of the match, an all-too-familiar feeling began to set in when Avishka Fernando and Kusal Perera built a 67-run stand.

Enter Pretorious. The right-armer had Fernando caught by Faf Du Plessis to send him back to the pavilion for a well-played 30.

When Pretorius castled Perera for the same score, many a South African fan would have undoubtedly been cursing his omission for much of the tournament.

WATCH: PHEHLUKWAYO TALKS ABOUT WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE

Phehlukwayo remarked that such a display was a testament to Pretorius’ great work ethic.

“The work he [Pretorius} has been putting in off the field is unbelievable. He hits the most balls and he leaves training last,” he said.

Pretorius put the finishing touches to his Man-of-the-Match performance when he accounted for Kusal Mendis in the 27th over.

Phehlukwayo expressed his delight at Pretorius being able to showcase his talent with ball in hand.

“I’m really happy for Dwaine. There’s a reason why we push each other so hard. It’s wonderful for him to come out here and show the country and the world what we can do.”

The economical nature of Pretorius’ performance makes the Lions player a no-brainer for the Proteas final assignment against Australia on 6 July in Manchester.

Photo: Cricket World Cup/Twitter