Sri Lanka to give their youngsters a run

With their place in the Asia Cup final secure, Sri Lanka are set to rest several key players in their final group match against India tomorrow, to give other members of the squad an outing. But Marvan Atapattu, their captain, has insisted that they will be approaching the game with the same intensity as ever.

"Pakistan are a bit more unpredictable than the Indians and they have a better bowling attack as well, but on a given day both teams can be a threat," said Atapattu. "So my team will be trying to concentrate on our game rather than concentrating too much on the opposition."

Sri Lanka's bowling resources could be stretched to the limit, with neither Muttiah Muralitharan nor Chaminda Vaas likely to be available for the game. Murali will be attending the funeral of his grandfather, who died this week, while Vaas has been under the weather with flu, and could be rested as a precaution.

"Vaas is not 100% fit as of yet," admitted Atapattu. "We will wait and see how he is, but he is an important member so hopefully he will be fit. Almost everyone has had the bug now, but the good thing about it is that it comes and goes. We will see what we can do about giving some of the youngsters exposure."

One the most exciting bowlers waiting in the wings for Sri Lanka is Lasith Malinga, who burst onto the scene with his slingy action against Australia last month. "It would be interesting to see how Malinga goes against some good, well-recognised players," said Atapattu. "So if we have the slightest chance with Vaas I think he should be rested.

Elsewhere, Saman Jayantha is due a chance with the bat, and may be accommodated at the top of the order, with Thilina Kandamby a likely starter as well. "We will try and accommodate the youngsters as much as we can," he added, "while ensuring that we can play the game to the best of our ability.

"Things have gelled. We are playing as team and feeling for one another. But you also need a bit of luck and fortunately things have been going our way. We should be carrying this on, not just for one tournament or two months, but for a couple of years."