'We Have To Play Fearless Cricket': New Skipper Kusal Perera Pumps In Young Energy | SL Vs BAN

"I really like to play fearless cricket personally, and that's where my success has been. Whenever I've played with fear, it hasn't worked for me. I want everyone else to play like that. You can't guarantee that you will go right playing this way, but the chances of things going well are greater," said Kusal Perera in an interview. 

Kusal Perera has been appointed as the new captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team. Sri Lanka will play a three-match ODI series against Bangladesh in Dhaka from 23 May 2021. Perera will be the captain for the India series which is scheduled to be played in July 2021. Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, and Lahiru Thirimanne are some of the senior players that are missing from this new-look Lanka squad. 

Perera, just a day after being appointed as the captain said, "We have to play fearless cricket to win matches," to ESPNcricinfo. "You can't be fearful about losing. If you're worried about your place, you aren't going to give 100%. What I'm going to tell the players is to go and give it everything," he added. 

It looks like Kusal Perera is bringing new energy in this SL squad that was missing in the past few months. He asserted his presence as a "fearless cricketer" and asked for the same from his players. "I really like to play fearless cricket personally, and that's where my success has been. Whenever I've played with fear, it hasn't worked for me. I want everyone else to play like that. You can't guarantee that you will go right playing this way, but the chances of things going well are greater," he said. 

Perera also revealed what the selectors said to him while appointing him the captain. "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. 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," concluded Kusal Perera. 

But Sri Lanka cricket fans would be hoping for a change of attitude from their national cricketers as the recent past has been nothing short of forgettable. Sri Lankan players looked poor on and off the field. They lost their home series against England and South Africa. Sri Lankan cricket team was grasped with a sex scandal that had taken place during the Test series against England. The team’s most talked-about youngster had been reportedly caught red-handed in sexual misconduct with a member of female staff in the SL team. 

Sri Lanka Cricket and their fans would be hoping that appointment of Kusal Perera would change some fortunes for the team.