Pakistan Take on Sri Lanka in Asia Cup Opener

Fatullah: Pakistan is determined to defend its trophy, but Sri Lanka's captain Angelo Mathews remains optimistic as the two cricket giants face off in the opening match of the five-nation Asia Cup on Tuesday, in the run-up to the Twenty20 World Cup.

Pakistan, which won the title in 2012, is aiming to put pressure on its opponents with a team balancing experienced players and newcomers.

Both teams are focusing not just on the opening match but on the whole tournament.

For Tuesday's opening match at Fatullah, Sri Lanka has one thing in its favor - it played here a month ago against Bangladesh, winning two Tests, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20s.

Pakistan's skipper Misbah-ul-Haq said Sunday they are taking spirit from the series wins over Sri Lanka and South Africa, and will fight to defend the Asia Cup title. The team beat Bangladesh in the 2012 final.

While the team has several relatively inexperienced players including Sharjeel Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Mohammad Talha, Bilawal Bhatti and Anwar Ali, it also has Misbah himself and Mohammad Hafeez, who will play the key role in batting.

Having had some time in limited-overs tournaments at home, Pakistan return to internationals with much the same squad that took on Sri Lanka in the UAE. Fawad Alam is one surprise inclusion, but he is unlikely to play in the tournament opener. Bilawal Bhatti and Anwar Ali compete for the third seamer's position.

Two main Sri Lanka bowlers - Herath and Nuwan Kulasekara - are unavailable, leaving the attack in less-experienced hands. Lasith Malinga and Sangakkara will return after having been rested for the third Bangladesh ODI, and Ashan Priyanjan is likely to assume a place in the middle-order.

Teams from

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Sharjeel Khan, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal (wk), Sohaib Maqsood, Fawad Alam, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Anwar Ali, Bilawal Bhatti, Mohammad Talha

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Lasith Malinga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Dhammika Prasad, Suranga Lakmal, Chaturanga De Silva, Sachithra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Ashan Priyanjan.

Stats and trivia

• Mohammad Hafeez hit 448 runs at 149.33 in the UAE series against Sri Lanka.
• Misbah-ul-Haq has hit seven 50-plus scores in his last nine international innings.

Match facts
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 (day/night)
Start time 1400 local (0800 GMT)