India, the inaugural winners of the competition in 1984, have won the contest no less than four times out of five, the last three on consecutive occasions.
Sri Lanka can draw comfort from the fact that the last occasion they won the Asia Cup was when they hosted the tournament in 1986. In the past three tournaments they have ended as runner-up to India.
Sri Lanka will start the sixth edition of the tournament titled Pepsi Asia Cup as favourites, when they meet Pakistan in the curtain-raiser match at the R. Premadasa Stadium at 10.30 a.m. today.
Sri Lanka's recent one-day form suggests that they should comfortably take the title having proved their credentials twice this year in tournaments held outside the country.
They pocketed the Singer-Akai Cup in Sharjah in April and followed it up by winning the Independence Cup in India in May, beating Pakistan in the finals on both occasions.
Apart from losing batsman Hashan Tillekeratne, who is recovering from a fractured right arm sustained in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka will be at full strength with the return of Chaminda Vaas.
The spearhead of the Sri Lankan bowling attack was forced to forego the Caribbean tour and reschedule his ticket to Australia to receive treatment for a strained back - the result of excess cricket. Vaas has recovered fully and will pair off with another left-armer Sajeeva de Silva.
Apart from the inclusion of an additional wicket-keeper/batsman Lanka de Silva, who has replaced Tillekeratne, the squad of 14 named for the tournament, is more or less the same that won at Sharjah and in India.
De Silva's inclusion comes as a warning to regular wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana whose form with the bat has seen him being relegated as Sanath Jayasuriya's opening partner to that of a lower-order batsman.
Whether the absence of coach Bruce Yardley will have any adverse effects on the team's performance remains to be seen. Yardley had to suddenly leave for treatment in Australia for a recurring problem with his left eye with which he is having difficulty focusing.
The players are however, experienced enough to go through the usual chores of whipping themselves up into a match-winning unit with the majority of them having played together before the World Cup tournament last year.
Pakistan on the other hand, continue to suffer from the malady of losing key players to English counties. The cricketers seem to have their priorities more with playing outside their country, than for it.
Pakistan will be without their two world class fast bowlers Wasim Akram (who has been ruled out of cricket for at least six months with a shoulder injury) and Waqar Younis, leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, fast bowler Mohammad Wasim and batsman Ijaz Ahmed.
Off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who was playing for Surrey returns to strengthen the department Pakistan are very much weak in the bowling. Sri Lanka exposed the thinness in Pakistan's bowling when they ran up totals in excess of 300 runs in each of the two finals to win the Independence Cup in India in May.
The return of Aamir Sohail to the Pakistan line-up will be some relief to skipper Rameez Raja who has been saddled with the job of leading an under-strength Pakistan side, since Akram injured his bowling arm early this year.
Despite their shortcomings, Pakistan have proved to be worthy contenders outstripping India and New Zealand to reach the finals of the Independence Cup.
Sohail, the left-handed opening bat and left-arm spinner is a very useful all-rounder to have in a one-day side. With his dispute with the Pakistan cricket authorities firmly behind him, Pakistan will be looking to him to make an impact if they are to get anywhere in the tournament.
Sohail will most likely pair off with his long-standing opening partner Saeed Anwar, who will be the cynosure of all eyes having become the new record holder for the highest individual innings in one-day cricket - 194, which he scored against India in an Independence Cup game at Madras.
The weather which had been rather dicy for the past fortnight gave indications of clearing yesterday with bright sunshine and blue skies, thus ensuring of a rain-free tournament.
The organisers have however left an additional day for every one of the seven matches, just in case.
The teams: SRI LANKA (from): Arjuna Ranatunga (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva, Roshan Mahanama, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Kumara Dharmasena, Chaminda Vaas, Ruwan Kalpage, Upul Chandana, Muthiah Muralitharan, Sajeeva de Silva, Lanka de Silva, Duleep Liyanage.
PAKISTAN (from): Rameez Raja (captain), Aamir Sohail, Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Salim Malik, Moin Khan, Saqlain Mushtaq, Aaqib Javed, Shahid Nazir, Kabir Khan, Hasan Raza, Arshad Khan, Mohammad Hussain.
UMPIRES: S. Venkatragahavan and S. K. Bansal (both India).
MATCH REFEREE: J. R. Reid (New Zealand).
PLAYING HOURS: 10.30 a.m. - 2.00 p.m. (1st session)
2.00 p.m. - 2.45 p.m. (interval)
2.45 p.m. - 6.15 p.m. (2nd session).