Explosive action in store

By Our Special Correspondent

NAIROBI, OCT 7. Explosive action is in store for cricket lovers on Sunday. An inspired Sri Lanka taking on the fabulously talented Pakistan has raised visions of a classic contest in the ICC knockout tournament quarterfinals at the Nairobi Gymkhana here.

A lively track and compulsive strokemakers on either side have created hopes of some excellent competition. Both sides are known for their positive attitude and the aggressive streak to dominate should bring the best out of the players.

The presence of Wasim Akram marks the difference between the teams. The crafty Akram can alter the course of the match in a matter of time and he will be the man to watch. A wide range of all-rounders makes it a difficult team to beat in contemporary cricket and the leadership of Moin Khan is a big asset for Pakistan.

For Sri Lanka, the roles are distributed with Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu looking forward to handsome contributions after their failures against the West Indies. The well-balanced Sri Lanka is widely expected to make a big impact here and a win against Pakistan should be a result in keeping with form. Of course, Pakistan's unpredictable nature of raising its game when completely in the dumps can be a threat.

lThe teams (from): Pakistan: Moin Khan (Capt), Inzamam-ul- Haq, Saeed Anwar, Imran Nazir, Ijaz Ahmed, Saleem Elahi, Yousuf Youhana, Faisal Iqbal, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood, Abdur Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq and Arshad Khan.

Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (Capt), Marvan Atapattu, Avishka Gunawardene, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumara Sangakkara, Russel Arnold, Chaminda Vaas, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Nuwan Zoysa, Pramodya Wickramasinghe, Muthiah Muralitharan and Kumara Dharmasena, Eric Upasantha and Upul Chandana.

Umpires: Messrs David Orchard and Peter Willey; Mr. S. Venkataraghavan; Match Referee : Mr. Raman Subba Row.

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