The side has been re-enforced by the inclusion of Aamir Sohail the dashing left-handed opener and left-arm leg-spinner who will probably join his former colleague Saeed Anwar in one of the most effective opening batting combinations Pakistan has produced in Test or one-day games.
Pakistan has yet to win an Asia Cup championship and they will be going all out to make this a reality in Colombo this year. India will be defending their title they won in Sharjah in 1995.
``We'll be going all out to win the trophy, since we have still to win an Asia Cup championship. Although the side is minus some of our key players, the available resources are sufficient enough to give the other sides a good run,'' said Raja at a fielding practice session at the SSC grounds yesterday.
Though Pakistan skipper Rameez Raja sounds optimistic, his side will not find things easy, as holders India and Pakistan are equally confident of winning. If India resolves the problem of team selection, then they can be a threat to Pakistan and Sri Lanka as well.
The return of former skipper Azharuddin, has given the Indian fielding a little bit of pep-up and he is also a capable batsman.
Sri Lanka will have the added advantage of playing on home soil and the crowds will be with them.
When Pakistan played here in a Test series a few months ago, they had to bank heavily on a set of youngsters. The present side looks different with the inclusion of experienced Saeed Anwar who holds the record for the highest individual score in an one-day international game (at the Independence Cup against India a few months ago) and Aamir Sohail and the aggressive medium pacer Aquib Javed.
However, the persistent showers that the country is experiencing at the moment will be a decisive factor in the outcome of the tournament.
The Pakistanis and the Bangladesh teams were denied of serious outdoor practice and were confined to the NCC indoor nets yesterday.
The Indian team is expected to arrive in the Island this morning after a controversy over team selection. They will be without left-hander Vinod Kambli, wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia and left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi. They have included newcomers paceman Debashish Mohanty and left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni in the 14-member squad.
Weather permitting, India and Pakistan will feature for the first time in a game of cricket in Sri Lanka. The only opportunity the Sri Lankan cricket enthusiasts could have watched the two countries in action in a Singer Trophy Tournament in 1994 was rained out on the reserve day too. However, the two countries formed a combined team and made history, meeting Sri Lanka in a goodwill match at the R. Premadasa Stadium when Australia and the West Indies refused to play in a World Cup preliminary round match quoting security reasons in March last year.
In comparison to the Indians and the Pakistanis, the Sri Lankans with their World Champion 'tag'and the two consecutive wins in Sharjah (Singer - Akai Cup) and the Pepsi Independence Cup could make a strong claim for the title.
Sri Lanka last won the Asia Cup at home way back in 1986 under the present manager Duleep Mendis and the only surviving member of that team is the present captain Arjuna Ranatunga.
The tournament will be declared open by the Speaker K. B. Ratnayake tomorrow (Monday) at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama and will be followed by the Sri Lanka-Pakistan match.
The winners will receive 30,000.00 USD, the runner-up 20,000.00 and the man-of-the-match 2000.00 USD and the man of the series 5,000.00 USD.
The panel of umpires comprise Saleem Badar and Nazir Junior (Pakistan), Srinivas Venkatraghavan and S. K. Bansal (India), K. T. Francis and B. C. Cooray (Sri Lanka). Mohamed Asghar of Bangladesh is the third umpire.