NEW skipper Jigar Naik urged Dorset to play without fear ahead of the start of their limited overs campaign.

The experienced off-spinner is set to take charge for the first time since Chris Park relinquished the captaincy in the shorter formats.

Dorset on Sunday begin their Unicorns Trophy campaign with a 50-over battle against Cornwall in the preliminary round at North Perrott (11am). The winners will go on to face Berkshire in the next round.

With T20 contests also scheduled against Wiltshire, Devon, Wales and Cornwall this summer, Naik gave a clear indication of the brand of cricket he wanted to implement.

He told the Daily Echo: “Ideally, it’s all about playing no fear cricket.

“If you fancy taking down a bowler, you have got to express yourself. One batter may have the upper hand on a bowler and, if you feel it’s your day, you have to go for it.

“We still have to play within reason. If we are 40 for four, or whatever, we might have to rein it in a bit but I want the youngsters to express themselves and have fun.

“Hopefully, if we are playing without fear, it is more or less going to go our way.”

Speaking about taking the captaincy, the former Leicestershire professional added: “It’s an absolute honour.

“Parky was doing an outstanding job and, in a way, it was a surprise but I was filled with excitement about where the squad and team can go.”

Dorset have also been boosted by the inclusion of Somerset leg-spinner Max Waller for the limited overs formats.

The 30-year-old took 16 wickets in last season’s NatWest T20 Blast as well as being one of the professional outfit’s best fielders.

“Having someone of Max’s calibre would be a boost for any team. You just have to see some of the catches he took last year – it was unbelievable stuff,” added Naik.

“You forget how cleanly he strikes the ball as well and that’s something we will experiment with, in terms of where he wants to bat.

“In terms of bowling and the X factor he brings, it’s massive for us.”

Waller could lock horns with Somerset team-mate Peter Trego as the all-rounder has been included in Cornwall’s line-up.

Dorset (from): Walker, Arnold, Webb, Waller, Ellis, Eckland, Naik, Digby, Wolstenholme, S Currie, B Currie, Robinson.