Ongoing contract issue is a concern which we hope will be resolved soon, admits Kusal Perera
Perera has been appointed as the new ODI skipper
|Ahead of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, Sri Lankan ODI skipper Kusal Perera has admitted that the ongoing contract issue is a concern, which he hopes to be resolved soon. He also called his new teammates to learn from their mistakes quickly as they usher into an era without veterans.
Sri Lanka will walk into the Bangladesh tour without a host of veterans - Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne - which would allow the youngsters to leave an indelible impact. However, even before the start of the series, the Islanders have hit the roadblock with issues regarding the new contracts.Â
Newly appointed ODI skipper Kusal Perera, ahead of the series, admitted that the ongoing contract issue is a concern that they hope will be resolved soon. In the new contracts, the Sri Lankan Cricket board have reduced spots from 32 to 24, introducing separate Domestic Development Contracts and Incremental Contracts to others. However, that hasn’t left the cricketers happy, which has led to these talks.Â
"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 on Saturday, reported Cricbuzz.
In the past, against West Indies, the Sri Lankan bowling attack struggled in the death overs, which Perera cited as something that would be crucial in this series. He also asked for his teammates to learn on the go and improve on their performance.Â
''Sometimes you need to get hit and learn from your mistakes,'' said Perera, adding that they are aware that death bowling will be crucial for them.
"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.
Alongside that, the left-hander also stated that the Islanders would be aiming to counter the hosts’ spin bowling attack. He also asked for the fielders to take the onus and make a huge impact on the series.Â
"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.
