Karachi, Jun 23: Determined to defend the Asia Cup title, Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene today asked his team to quickly switch over from Twenty20 mode to the one-day internationals here.

"We are professional cricketers and we need to have the ability to switch to any form of the game be it Test, one-day or Twenty20 cricket. Playing for your country is a big incentive," he told a press conference today in Lahore.

"I don't think it is difficult to play the Asia Cup being motivated after something like the Indian Premier League. In fact, there are a lot of good things and positives one can take from the IPL and use it to good effect in this tournament," Jayawardene said.

The Sri Lankan captain made it clear that his team would not take any side lightly and would try to give its best in each match.

"We are the defending champions and this is the biggest event of sub-continental cricket. So we are here with a clear mind. We are going to take every match as it comes and we are going to award respect to every team," he said ahead of his team's opening game against minnows, United Arab Emirates.

Jayawardene said his team had not been doing badly in one-day cricket since making the World Cup final last year and the Asia Cup was an ideal platform for them to re-discover their winning touch.