COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will face its first real test of the World Cup on Saturday when the tournament co-hosts take on Pakistan in Group A.

The two former World Cup winners have started their campaigns with thumping wins, trouncing Canada and Kenya respectively in their opening matches in the southern town of Hambantota.

For Saturday, the statistics will be on Pakistan's side, after winning all six previous World Cup matches against Sri Lanka, although the teams have not met since the 1992 edition when Pakistan went on to defeat England in the final.

Pakistan can also take heart from its middle-order batsmen after their solid performance against Kenya, with Akmal brothers Umar and Kamran sharing partnerships with Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan in a total of 317-7.

The only worry for Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi is that his openers Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad both flopped against Kenya on Wednesday.

''We shouldn't be 100 per cent satisfied, but we are ready for the Sri Lanka match,'' Afridi said. ''We will play with more energy.''

Afridi, who took 5-16 in Kenya's reply of 112, is optimistic of his side having a good game ''if we put together this kind of batting and bowl in good areas.''

Sri Lanka's top fast bowler Lasith Malinga is expected to bowl with the new ball after being rested for the first game due to a slight back strain.

''He is coming back from an injury so let's see how strong he is and how much he can adjust to the conditions,'' Afridi said.

The hot and humid weather in Sri Lankan capital will not only test Malinga, but will also be a test for the match fitness of Afridi's strike bowler, Shoaib Akhtar.

Sri Lanka meanwhile has the edge in the spin department with Muttiah Muralitharan, the world record holder in both test and one-day internationals, who is playing his last World Cup.

''He can probably turn it (ball) on marble,'' Afridi said of the veteran offspinner's skills. ''He has so much experience and knows so well how to use them.''

Sri Lanka's batting might also give Afridi a headache with Mahela Jayawardene scoring his country's fastest World Cup century —100 off 80 balls —against Canada in its 210-run win.

Kumar Sangakkara missed out on a century but made 92 while opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan continued his fine form with a quickfire half-century.

''We had a good game (against Canada) and we did what we talked about before the match,'' middle-order batsman Chamara Kapugedera told reporters on Thursday.

Kapugedera said his team was aware of Pakistan's good performances recently, which included victory in a one-day series 3-2 in New Zealand earlier this month.

''We are not concerned about them, the major concern is about ourselves _ what we do and how we prepare ourselves for the match,'' Kapugedera said.

A crowd of 35,000 is expected to get behind Sri Lanka on Saturday, a factor Afridi which feared could be a threat to his team.

Kapugedera meanwhile dismissed any idea that the home supporters could add to the expectations on his side and create unwanted pressure on the players.

''It's a big advantage,'' he said. ''They support us even when we don't do well.''