New Sri Lanka captain Kusal Perera wants team to play fearless cricket

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's new ODI skipper Kusal Perera on Thursday said he wants his team to play fearless cricket. His first assignment as in-charge of Sri Lankan team is a three-match ODI series in Bangladesh beginning on May 23.

"We have to play fearless cricket to win matches. You can't be fearful about losing. If you're worried about your place, you aren't going to give 100 per cent," he told the Sri Lankan media.

"What I'm going to tell the players is to go and give it everything. If we play fearlessly, even when we are practicing, then you will be able to play the same way in a match. That's what I've told the team. If we are fearful, we will fall even further," he said.

Perera said he wants to build a culture in which players have confidence. "I am trying to build a culture where the players have a lot of confidence," he said.

The captain said that the selectors have asked him to take responsibility and get big scores.

"What the selectors told me when they appointed me was that I often get a 50 or a 60 and get out without getting to a 100. I accept that," he added.

"If I score a hundred, the chances of winning the match go up. You can't get a 100 every game, but when you get a start, you need to make sure you convert. They expect me to take that responsibility."