06 October 2004	Wednesday	20 Shaban 1425

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

KARACHI, Oct 5: History-making Pakistan gear up for their first real test in the triangular one-day tournament when they face a confident Sri Lanka at the National Stadium on Wednesday.

For the hosts, the match brings a significant milestone with this being the 600th One-day International played by Pakistan. It's a landmark that should serve as inspiration to lift the side to tame the Lanka lions in front of knowledgeable Karachiites who are expected to turn up in large numbers.

For Bob Woolmer, the English coach, it will be his first opportunity to watch his charges come up against serious opponents on home soil since he took over from Javed Miandad in June.

Castigated in the national media for Pakistan's failure to win a title under his guidance, Woolmer's reputation as a high-profile foreign coach is once again open to questions.

Under Woolmer, Pakistan have now won nine matches but six were against minnows and two against a Sachin Tendulkar-less India. Pakistan's preparations for the Sri Lanka clash have been hampered with Moin Khan sidelined for the second game running.

The veteran wicket-keeper is suffering from a severe bout of influenza and sore throat. A course of antibiotics has now left him considerably weak, casting a doubt over his participation in the remaining matches of the series.

Younis Khan, who was rather surprisingly asked to don the wicket-keeping gloves in the second tri-series match against Zimbabwe in Peshawar three days ago, once again shoulders the responsibility.

After doing an adequate job, Younis's skills behind the stumps will be put to a searching examination by Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami bowling in tandem for the first time in the tournament.

Inzamamul Haq, the Pakistan captain, sat out the Peshawar match on Sunday in a bid to recover from a groin strain he suffered while batting in the opening fixture at Multan last Thursday. Still far from 100 per cent fit, Inzamam is also battling to fight off a viral infection.

The Pakistan captain will wait until the morning before deciding whether it's worth taking a gamble by including himself in the playing XI. With an unsettling top-order, which is constantly causing considerable anxiety, Inzamam is likely to take the field.

Yasir Hameed, who lasted all but three balls against Zimbabwe in the first two matches, is struggling to regain form. The National Stadium was kind to him when he launched his Test career with a brace of centuries against Bangladesh nearly 14 months ago. Could this be Yasir's day to come good?

With Salman Butt likely to partner Yasir, Bazid Khan is set to get the chop after two 'failures', one through his own fault and the other via a harsh umpiring verdict in the Peshawar game.

Sri Lanka, in contrast, have no such worries to upset their plans. Coach John Dyson is meticulous when it comes to finding the right combination. Helped by a spate of victories, 17 in last 19 matches, the tourists looked relaxed during a strenuous training session in the nets on Tuesday afternoon.

The Asia Cup champions just might opt for extra batsman considering the playing conditions after the spell of rain in the city at the weekend. The pitch's surface appears dry but the moisture underneath, augmented by the early morning dew factor, may entice either captain to take the option of fielding first.

Unlike the emotionally charged match against India last March, the atmosphere of an international being played here is surprisingly missing this time. There is no apparent demand for tickets as was the case against the Indians. The PCB has not done enough to lure the fans to the ground despite the fact that Wednesday has been declared as a local holiday.

PROBABLE TEAMS:

PAKISTAN: Yasir Hameed, Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Inzamamul Haq (captain), Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Rana Naveedul Hasan, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami.

SRI LANKA: Sanath Jayasuriya, Avishka Gunawardene, Saman Jayantha, Marvan Atapattu (captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Zoysa.

Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pakistan) and Mark Benson (England).

TV umpire: Nadeem Ghauri (Pakistan).

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand).