The defeat in New Zealand pushed back Sri Lanka's dream of becoming the best Test-playing nation by the year 2000, a goal which new coach Bruce Yardley is trying hard to achieve.
With Pakistan forced to field a makeshift team for today's Test, because of injuries, Sri Lanka will be fancing their chances of winning and taking an early lead in the series.
Sri Lanka's only worry is the fitness of opening bat Roshan Mahanama, who is yet recovering from a chipped left toe sustained at practice
In the event of Mahanama being declared unfit, his place will go to 23-year-old newcomer Russel Arnold. The left-hander who set up a new Sri Lanka record in domestic cricket for the largest aggregate in first-class cricket (1400 in 1995-96), hit a superb 140 off the Pakistani bowling attack in the two-day lead up game to the Test.
That apart, it will be a toss up between Kumara Dharmasena (fast off-breaks) and Jayantha Silva (left-arm spin) for the final bowler's spot from the squad of 15 named by the national selectors on Thursday.
In the absence of both Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, Pakistan's new ball attack is going to be in the inexperienced hands of Mohammad Zahid and Shahid Nazir.
Wasim and Waqar are two of the most deadliest fast bowlers in world cricket today, capturing 538 wickets between them in 116 Tests. Wasim is nursing an injured bowling arm, a result of excessive cricket, and Waqar hs a fractured foot injury which has ruled him out of the tour.
Comparatively, their replacements Zahid and Nazir have played only five Tests between them, but taken 24 wickets.
This is not the first time Pakistan are forced to go into a Test without their much feared pair which destroyed the Sri Lankan batting line-up for their lowest total - 71 on their last tour here in 1994. Last November, Zahid and Nazir bowled Pakistan to an innings and 13 runs win over New Zealand at Rawalpindi.
Zahid (21), then making his debut, captured 11 wickets (including 7 for 66 in the second innings), while Nazir (19) played more of a supporting role, taking a solitary wicket and keeping one end tight. Nazir however, also began his Test career memorably taking 5 for 33 (match bag of seven wickets) against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura in October last year.
``It is indeed a terrible blow for us without Wasim or Waqar, but we will have to carry on with it,'' said Pakistan coach Mushtaq Mohammad.
``We have not lost only our two most experienced opening batsmen, but even our two experienced bowlers,'' he said.
Pakistan arrived in Sri Lanka without opening batsmen Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail. Anwar is suffering from a recurring stomach ailment, and Sohail is serving a two-year ban on disciplinary grounds.
In their absence, vice-captain Rameez Raja, who will lead Pakistan in Akram's absence and Salim Elahi, who scored a disciplined century in the two-day game, will open. Raja's previous experience as captain was also against Sri Lanka in 1995-96, when he lost the Test series 2-1 played in Pakistan.
The teams: SRI LANKA (from): Arjuna Ranatunga (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Roshan Mahanama, Russel Arnold, Marvan Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva, Hashan Tillekeratne, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Muthiah Muralitharan, Kumara Dharmasena, Jayantha Silva, Sajeeva de Silva, Sanjeeva Ranatunga.
PAKISTAN (from): Rameez Raja (captain), Salim Elahi, Asif Mujtaba, Salim Malik, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Moin Khan, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Shahid Nazir, Mohammad Zahid, Mohammad Wasim.
UMPIRES: Udaya Wickremasinghe (Sri Lanka) and David Shepherd ((England), third umpire - K.T. Francis (Sri Lanka).