Pakistan play opener today

Pakistan take on Sri Lanka Saturday in an encounter which provides Waqar Younis and his boys a chance to exact some revenge of last April's humiliating defeat in the final.

Having beaten Sri Lanka by comfortable margins in the league matches, Pakistan surrendered tamely in the final, now a familiar occurring.

On paper, Pakistan are more talented than Sri Lankans but somehow the present team seems to choke in the quest for trophy.

Playing an international match after five months due to the cancellation of New Zealand visit, Pakistan should have no excuses if they failed to deliver the goods as the players are fresh having appeared in a domestic knockout competition.

Since their arrival here, Pakistan players had couple of practice sessions and if the team management is to be believed then everyone is fit and raring to go. But with players and team management kept under wrap and not allowed access to media, Saturday's match would reveal the state of fitness of the players.

However, news leaked to the press indicate that all is not well with at least two players Azhar Mahmood and Shoaib Akhtar, eternally fit for tours but unfit after sending down few overs, was battling injuries.

It is almost certain that Azhar will sit out today's clash but Shoaib is likely to make the team.

With Inzamam-ul-Haq to watch the match from the cosy atmosphere of the dressing room, middle-order batsman Naved Latif is expected to win his first international cap at the expense of Taufiq Omar.

Sri Lanka on the other hand are expected to make one change. They may bring in Kumar Sangakkara in place of Romesh Kaluwitharana who failed with the bat but had a good session behind the stumps.

With weather expected to be cooler and less humidity, a high scoring game is on cards as the wicket is hard, firm and ideal for stroke-making.

Pakistan (from): Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Taufiq Omar, Naved Latif, Wasim Akram, Abdur Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Rashid Latif, Azhar Mahmood.

Sri Lanka (from): S.Jayasuriya, M.Atapattu, A. Gunawardena, M. Jayawardena, R.Arnold, R. Kaluwitharana or K.Sangakkara, K. Dharmasena, C.Vaas, D.Fernando, M.Muralitharan, C.Buddika.