Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said the upcoming series against Sri Lanka in the UAE will be evenly contested.

Speaking to the media on the eve of Pakistan's departure to UAE for his country's 'home series', Misbah said the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan will have a positive psychological impact on his team.

“The bowling of the Sri Lankans has definitely been weakened with the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan as he was a champion bowler but we can't take them lightly at all,” he said.

“It is going to be a tough series for us but I am confident we can do well because the players have been improving with every series and we have to do our things right.”

The two teams play three tests, five one-day internationals and a T20 match with the the first test set to begin from Oct 18 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan's interim coach Mohsin Khan also told his side to focus on the mental aspect of the game.

“Mental toughness is sometimes the difference between winning and losing in a tight match. Look at the great Australian teams of the past few years; they had a never-say-die attitude and that meant they managed, time and again, to grab victory from the jaws of defeat. They were mentally so strong and this is something that I have been speaking in detail about to the Pakistan squad at the camp. You can be the best bowler, batsman or fielder, but if you are not mentally strong then you will rarely succeed at the top level of cricket,” Khan told Pakpassion.net.