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Sri Lanka were relieved that Shoaib Akhtar was not here but admitted that they had more respect for the great Ws. Shoaib had terrorized Sri Lanka in the final earlier this year when the two teams last met in the final of the Sharjah Cup.

"Shoaib had a great final but if you want me to quantify the percentage of the importance Shoaib in that team, then I think Wasim Akram is more important than him," Sri Lankan manager Dave Whatmore said.

Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankan captain, paid even more respect to the two outstanding bowlers of the game.

"I wouldn't be happy to lose Shoaib if I am a Pakistan supporter. But you still got to tackle Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, and I tell you, it is never easy," the flamboyant opener said.

Sri Lanka face Pakistan in their opener Wednesday.

Jayasuriya added: "The two might have lost a yard or so (in pace), but they are still dangerous because they are deceptive. Against Shoaib, you know that it (ball) is coming fast but against them (Wasim and Waqar) you just don't know what they will deliver."

Wasim and Waqar, the deadliest new ball pair the world has ever seen, share almost 850 one-day and 775 Test wickets between them. They could have raised the tally had Waqar not been sidelined for a couple of years in the last century.

Jayasuriya, who has toyed with almost all the fast bowling in his distinguished career, said Shoaib was special to Pakistan team because he was a wicket-taking bowler. He compared the world's fastest bowler with his spin king Muthiah Muralitharan.

"The common thing in the two is their ability to pick wickets. They not only put brakes on the scoring rate, they pick bulk of the wickets and that too at crucial stages. It is that ability that has made them special in cricket history," Jayasuriya said.

Jayasuriya said Muralitharan had fully recovered from the shoulder injury he sustained during the Sharjah final in April and was optimistic that he would deliver the goods. But at the same time, he warned that the other bowlers also needed to rise to the occasion and realize their responsibilities.

"Muralitharan is a class act and a key player. But you see injuries are part and parcel of a professional cricketer and therefore, he can't always be available. So when he is not there, they other bowlers have to raise their hands, stand up and show their mettle. I know they are trying but they need to try harder and learn quickly," he said.

© Dawn