DUBAI : Rival captains Misbah-ul Haq and Tillakaratne Dilshan agreed
sling-action paceman Lasith Malinga could make the difference when
Pakistan and Sri Lanka play their first one-day international here on
Friday.The 28-year-old fast bowler, who bowls with a round-arm
action is fresh from his exploits in last month's Champions League where
he finished as the player of the tournament in Mumbai's title triumph
with ten wickets.Pakistan captain Misbah conceded Malinga could be vital."Malinga
is a very good bowler, he makes a difference and everyone knows he is a
good bowler," said Misbah on Thursday. "We have played very well
against him but they have an edge with him in the side."Pakistan
won the preceding three-Test series 1-0 when Sri Lanka were without
Malinga who retired from Test cricket earlier this year because of
persistent injury problems.Dilshan said Malinga, who has 149 wickets in 94 one-day internationals, is an asset for his team."Lasith
is one of the assets for Sri Lanka," said Dilshan. "He is one of the
great bowlers in the world and he can guide other bowlers as well and
his comeback in the series is a good sign for the team."Malinga was also sidelined with injury when Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in the group match in Colombo in this year's World Cup.But once Malinga returned, Sri Lanka finished runners-up to India. Pakistan lost to India in the semi-final of the World Cup.Pakistan
were boosted by the return of allrounders Shahid Afridi and Abdul
Razzaq who both had turbulent periods since the World Cup.After
the West Indies series in May, Afridi fell out with then coach Waqar
Younis before being sacked as one-day captain. In protest he retired
from international cricket and only took back his decision last month.Razzaq
was sidelined after a poor World Cup, but was recalled after he led
Pakistan to Super Sixes title in Hong Kong earlier this month.And Misbah hoped both the allrounders give Pakistan more strength."Both
Afridi and Razzaq give strength to our team," said Misbah, who was
appointed captain for all three formats in June this year. "We know Sri
Lanka are a good side but we are ready for them."Dilshan also hoped his team remain focused and win the series."We
know we have not won a series since the World Cup, so the players are
determined to put that behind and play our brand of cricket to win the
series," said Dilshan, who took over from Kumar Sangakkara after the
World Cup.Sri Lanka need to win 4-1 or better to keep their
second place in the ICC (International Cricket Council) one-day rankings
intact. They drop one place even if they win 3-2 On the other hand Pakistan jump fifth to their current sixth place if they win 4-1 and in case they win 5-0 they go to fourth
