Sri Lanka get another shot at glory

The champagne might still be flowing in the Sri Lankan camp, after their resounding win in the final of the Paktel Cup, but the hangover time allotted was just three days. After strangling Pakistan's run-chase with their masterful use of their part-time spinners, Sri Lanka get another shot at glory with the two-Test series beginning at Faisalabad tomorrow.

Marvan Atapattu may be embroiled in a heated controversy with the selection committee, but he starts the series with a legacy to uphold. Arjuna Ranatunga's men came back from the dead in 1995 to become the first team to win a series in Pakistan for nearly 15 years. That win triggered off a glittering period, with the 1996 World Cup triumph and victory in the one-off Test at The Oval in 1998 the highlights. Sri Lanka returned to Pakistan in 2000, this time under Sanath Jayasuriya, but the series result read just the same: 2-1 in their favour. Neither team has managed to win at home in the five series they have played over the last ten years. Home disadvantage will suit Sri Lanka just fine.

But history and figures may not mean too much to Pakistan. Bob Woolmer will be in charge for the first time in a Test and there have been clear signs of revival in the one-day version. He expressed his disappointment over Saturday's defeat when he spoke to a few journalists after practice. "It's a shame to have lost in the final. It was very disappointing to see the team lose despite having the potential to turning the tide. In fact they should have won the tri-series."

More importantly, the scars of losing to India earlier in the year might not have healed and their batsmen will need to show more gumption than they did in March. Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami have shown the ability to produce shocks in bursts, but Woolmer would want the intensity sustained throughout the series. Pakistan are likely to open the batting with Yasir Hameed and Imran Farhat and both have a chance to show that promise, if persisted with, can deliver results when they matter.

Sri Lanka will rely on their top four to get them the big scores, which would then enable the spinners to get stuck in. Thilan Samaraweera has managed to cross fifty just twice in his last 14 innings and Romesh Kaluwitharana can exhilarate and exasperate in a span of a few minutes. Either Thilina Kandamby or Jehan Mubarak are set to bat at No. 6. The bowling line-up, though, may not be as spin-dominated as earlier Sri Lankan teams, with Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando, both capable of making top-quality batsmen hop, backing up the canny Chaminda Vaas.

The second Test will be played at Karachi, which will host a Test for the first time after May 2002 when New Zealand abandoned their tour midway. Karachi remains a Pakistani fortress where they have lost just one Test, when England pulled off an astonishing run-chase in the twilight in 2000. But Sri Lanka will fancy their chances to go one-up at Faisalabad. After a gritty showing in Australia, they overcame South Africa in a home series and have tasted success in two one-day tournaments in the subcontinent.

And if Sri Lanka are in need of inspiration, they will do well to remember the squad of 1995, who levelled the series at Faisalabad and went on to win it soon after.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Yasir Hameed, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Asim Kamal, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Shoaib Malik, 8 Moin Khan (wk), 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Mohammad Sami, 11 Danish Kaneria.

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Marvan Atapattu (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Jehan Mubarak, 7 Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), 8 Upul Chandana, 9 Chaminda Vaas, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Dilhara Fernando.