Newly-appointed captain Kusal Perera has downplayed the talks around the paying dispute between players and the Sri Lanka Cricket and said that the issue will not affect players’ performances in the series against Bangladesh starting tomorrow, May 23, in Dhaka. However, he shared hopes that the issue will be sorted sooner than later.
"We don't want to think too much about the ongoing contract issue with the board since we're focused on the series at this moment. Yes, it is a concern for all of us but we're hoping it will be resolved soon,'' Perera told reporters in Dhaka.
Perera recognised the poor death bowling that hurt the team in the series against West Indies but said that sometimes experience helps players improve and that players should be backed for a long time.
''Sometimes you need to get hit and learn from your mistakes. We have plans for our death bowling, but it's important to keep in mind that that's a role that you only get better at with experience. We can't expect perfection from the start, our bowlers are new to this role so we need to have patience,” Perera added.
Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents and the expected nature of pitches, Perera said that Bangladesh rely on their spinners for success and hence the surfaces are expected to be spin-friendly. He also said that the Sri Lanka fielding outfit can make a difference in the outcome of the series.
"We know that one of Bangladesh's strengths is their spin bowling attack, so we expect wickets to cater to that. I think our fielding has the potential to make a huge impact on this series,'' he concluded.
The three-match ODI series between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will start on May 23 in Dhaka.