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Message: <blockquote data-quote="yama_palla" data-source="post: 9517794" data-attributes="member: 321681">Heavyweights clash at R PremadasaMatch Facts   February 26, ColomboStart time 14:30 local time (09:00 GMT)            <img src="http://www.espncricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/CMS/128700/128741.2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />                 After his performance in Hambantota, Sri Lanka will want to find a place for Thisara Perera in their XI     © AFP                              Enlarge                                                             Related Links                                Analysis : <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/502980.html" target="_blank">Familiar rivals line up in big contest</a>         News : <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/502981.html" target="_blank">Pakistan mull three specialist bowlers</a>         News : <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/503043.html" target="_blank">Sri Lanka wary of "dangerous" Pakistan</a>                      Matches:              <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/engine/match/433567.html" target="_blank">Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (RPS)</a>          Series/Tournaments:              <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/series/381449.html" target="_blank">ICC Cricket World Cup</a>          Teams:              <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan/content/team/7.html" target="_blank">Pakistan</a>  |         <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/srilanka/content/team/8.html" target="_blank">Sri Lanka</a>                      Big Picture When the World Cup comes to colourful Colombo on Saturday, the  tournament will begin in earnest for two subcontinent teams. Both  Pakistan and Sri Lanka opened with massive wins over Associate nations,  but this will be their first real test in the competition. None of the  smaller teams in Group A seem capable of challenging the Test nations,  so the game will be important in terms of placings for the  quarter-finals. And in a tournament whose first week has been loaded  with one-sided matches, two teams packed with dynamic players also  promise some high-voltage entertainment.   Past records might suggest Pakistan have an edge - they have beaten Sri  Lanka in each of their six encounters in the World Cups and have won  their previous five games at the R Premadasa - but that will count for  little. The two sides have not faced each other in cricket's showpiece  tournament since 1992, and the Premadasa has undergone extensive  redevelopment. What will help Pakistan, though, is the relative lack of  controversy surrounding the current team, a low-profile lead-up and the  confidence of a recent series win, in New Zealand, behind them.    Sri Lanka's advantage is that most of their players have had a taste of  how the new track will fare during the domestic limited-over tournament  held in January. Traditionally, this has been a bat-first venue,  especially in day-night games where the team chasing has won only one of  the past 13 matches, but it remains to be seen how the re-laid pitch  fares .    Form guide (Most recent first)Sri Lanka WWWLWPakistan  WLWWW   Pitch and conditions The pitch will be the centre of attention since it's a re-laid track,  and Saturday's game will be the first international game to be played on  it. It may not be too high scoring a game, if the domestic matches  played since the stadium was re-developed are anything to go by. The  highest score batting first in the one-dayers played in January was 225,  a total which was easily defended. Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka  captain, though, expects the bare surface to be good for batting.    Watch out for… Thisara Perera was outstanding with the ball against Canada, and  picked loads of wickets whenever he got a chance in 2010 as well. He  worked up real pace in Hambantota, and has provided the team management  with the welcome headache of working out how to accommodate him, Lasith  Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara and Angelo Mathews in the XI. He also adds  muscle to Sri Lanka's lower-middle order.   Shoaib Akhtar has weathered stacks of controversies and fitness  problems to become one of the few constants in Pakistan's team. There  has not been any talk of injuries for eight months, a minor miracle  given his past record. Age hasn't slowed him down too much either; even  at 35 he remains among the quickest bowlers in the world.    Team news Pakistan have hinted they will stick to the same combination that played  Kenya, which means Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal are likely to remain on  the bench. Waqar Younis has said Pakistan are pondering how to use Abdul  Razzaq better, but for now he will continue to be an impact batsman at  No. 8 and opening the bowling.    Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Kamran  Akmal (wk), 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid  Afridi (capt), 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Abdur Rehman, 11 Shoaib  Akhtar   The main concern for Sri Lanka is the fitness of their pace spearhead,  Malinga, who has a back strain. He missed Sri Lanka's opening game, but  he did bowl in the nets on Friday. The physio will take a call on  Saturday whether Malinga will play. If he doesn't, Sri Lanka could stick  to the same XI that beat Canada.   Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3  Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara  Kapugedera, 6 Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9  Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan    Try picking the XIs for tomorrow's game by playing <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/site/selector/select.html" target="_blank">Team Selector</a>.   Stats and trivia <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Muttiah Muralitharan needs one more wicket to move past Wasim Akram's <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?id=12;type=trophy" target="_blank">tally of 55 wickets</a> to become the second highest wicket-taker in World Cups.   </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Sri Lanka have never beaten Pakistan in six World Cup matches, though the two haven't met in the competition since 1992.   </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> One more stumping will take Sangakkara's tally to eight,  moving ahead of Adam Gilchrist and Moin Khan, with whom he current  shares the record for <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/keeping/most_dismissals_career.html?id=12;type=trophy" target="_blank">most stumpings</a>.   </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> This is Afridi's fourth World Cup, but he is yet to make a half-century.</li> </ul>    Quotes   "In the past we've played really well against him in this country. I  don't think we should worry about him that much; he is not 28 anymore.  It is not going to be easy though. We're prepared not only for him but  the entire team."Waqar doesn't think Pakistan should be scared of Murali  "I find it surprising that their name is not bandied about in the mix of  potential World Cup winners as they have brilliant match winners with  both bat and ball."Mahela Jayawardene thinks Pakistan are among the favourites for the tournament</blockquote>

Verification: Hathara warak wissa keeyada? (Hathara wadi karanna 20)

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