Silverwood wants to see Lankan flair

Sri Lanka's newly-appointed coach Chris Silverwood wants his batters to score more freely and his fast bowlers to breathe fire early in their spells as he seeks to add a touch of flair to their performance.

"It's all about scoring runs and that's what we want the batting line-up to do," the 47-year-old, in his first news conference since taking over last month, told reporters on Thursday.

"I'll try and instil some confidence into the boys so they can go out there and construct their innings and score big runs, certainly in the first innings, and give us something to bowl at. It's not rocket science." Silverwood, who begins his tenure with a two-Test series in Bangladesh later this month, wanted his pacers to operate with sustained hostility.

"I've specifically challenged the Test bowlers to be hot on their first 12 balls, because as we all know the first 12 balls you can make a real impact on your spell as well as put pressure back on the batters," he said.

"I want the Sri Lankan flair, I want the boys to express themselves."