Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said Monday that Pakistan would not be easy to beat even in the absence of key pacemen Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif in a Champions Trophy match here.

"I do not think their absence will make any difference and we are not taking them lightly. When teams have such problems they come hard at you," Jayawardene said on the eve of his team's Group B clash with Pakistan.

Asif and Akhtar were scheduled to return home Monday night after testing positive for drugs.

Akhtar is his country's premier fast bowler, having taken 165 wickets in 42 Tests and 208 in 133 one-day internationals.

"It is disappointing, but that is something the Pakistani cricket team and officials have to deal with. We are looking forward to the challenge," said the Sri Lankan captain.

"When teams have these kinds of problems they come hard at you. We have played Pakistan quite a few times to realise that. The match is as important for us as any other game."

Sri Lanka, joint winners in 2002 with India at home, qualified for the main draw in style as they won three matches in a row, beating Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and the West Indies in the preliminary round.

"The guys worked hard in the first-round games and we are building up nicely," said Jayawardene.

"Our batting is okay. The bowling has been disciplined but still we have to improve in certain areas. The intensity is good and as a captain you cannot ask for more. We also have the advantage of playing in these conditions."

Left-handed Sri Lankan opener Upul Tharange has been in good form, having slammed two centuries in three matches. Veteran Sanath Jayasuirya, Kumar Sangakkara and Jayawardene are also capable of testing rival bowlers.

Pakistan captain Younis Khan said he was confident of an impressive performance from his side despite missing Akhtar and Asif.

"We have to face it and move on," he said. "Winning or losing is not important at this stage as our aim is to play good, competitive cricket. It is tough to miss two bowlers, but I think we have the replacements."

South Africa and New Zealand are other sides in this group. World champions Australia, India, England and the West Indies are in Group A. The top two teams from each group will move into the semi-finals.

Sri Lanka (from): Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Upul Tharanga, Tillkaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedara, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Ruchira Perera, Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Malinga Bandara, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Pakistan (from): Younis Khan (capt), Imran Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Faisal Iqbal, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Naved-ul-Hasan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Hafeez, Rao Iftikhar.

Umpires: Simon Taufel (AUS) and Billy Bowden (NZL).

TV umpire: Steve Bucknor (WIS).

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL).

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)