Sri Lanka got off to a worst possible start in this World Cup with New Zealand thrashing them by 10 wickets in Cardiff last Saturday.
The Sri Lankans next play Afghanistan on Tuesday in Cardiff, and senior pro Lasith Malinga agrees they have to be “mentally tough.”
Malinga also believes that it’s Sri Lanka’s bowlers who have a big role to play and could be game-changers, while they also need to play with a free mind.
“We knew how tough these conditions are before our match against New Zealand. We tried our best, but things didn’t go our way.
“I feel we have talent but not much experience to play in these conditions. However, players to have to realise what the team expects of them in this situation.
“We see that Dimuth (Karunaratne) has a good temperament to play in these conditions. I feel we have seven players who are top batsmen have a lot of responsibility. But our bowlers have a big role to play in tomorrow’s game.
“We don’t know who is going to bowl first or second. Still, I believe our bowlers can change the game,” Malinga said on the eve of the game against Afghanistan.
He added: “However, I also feel players need to be more confident, which can help us improve on our skills. We need to get mentally tough, too.
“The pressure is on us, yes, but we have to play with a free mind and do our best.”
In the Asia Cup last year, Afghanistan had hammered Sri Lanka by 91 runs. Malinga, thus, urged his teammates to have a “perfect game” and get the team off the mark.
“We aren’t thinking much about the opposition. At the moment, we are concerned with our own skills and how we’re going to play. That's what we are most concerned about.
“Batsmen and bowlers have to have a perfect game tomorrow. It’s a must-win game for us. We’ll try our best to be accurate and hopefully, will get things right in terms of tactics as well,” the pacer said.
Patience is one of the key factors in order to perform in these conditions, Malinga pointed out. “Another thing we need to work on is patience, which is very important.
“It’s patience that can help you analyse these conditions and get a score of say 60, 70… And then the set batsman has to make sure he finishes the game,” he said.
Malinga hasn’t been much into ODI cricket lately, but he is focus more on trying to do his best for the team instead of being too concerned with his physical condition. “Fifty-over cricket is very hard, but so is T20 because the pressure is there. In one-day cricket, we have time to adjust.”
