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DHAKA, March 11: Favourite Pakistan take on a depleted Sri Lankan team in the final of the first ever Asian Test Championship at the Dhaka Stadium tomorrow.

Defending world champions Sri Lanka are without match winners Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan in the squad. Their youthful side will have to face a crucial test against the matured Pakistanis, led by veteran campaigner Wasim Akram.

After long thirty years, the cricket fans in Dhaka will witness a test match when the final of the Asian Test Championship starts at 9:30 am at the Dhaka Stadium, which already earned fame as a popular venue of cricket through the Wills Cup last October. The cricket-mad nation last watched a test match way back in November 1969 when erstwhile Pakistan and New Zealand met in a drawn encounter.

This is for the first time a test match is going to take place at a neutral venue since the Australia-South Africa match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham was washed out on August 7, 1912. But the first bid to hold the test tri-series amongst England, Australia and South Africa ended in failure. The match will continue from 9:30 am till 4:30 pm every day with a 40-minute lunch break from 11:30 am to 12:10 pm and a 20-minute tea break from 2:10 pm to 2:30 pm.

On way to the test final, Pakistan won the first match against India by 46 runs. The second match between India and Sri Lanka and the third match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka ended in draw.

Pakistan earned 25 points and Sri Lanka 11 points to confirm their final berth. India, who failed to qualify for the final, secured 10 points.

The two finalists - Pakistan and Sri Lanka - practiced today at the venue of the Test championship, Bangabandhu National Stadium.

``The pitch is not bad. There is little presence of grass. It may help spinners and we may play with three spinners,'' said Pakistani captain Wasim Akram after the practice session. The fast bowler, however said: ``The pitch does not matter for us. We are familiar with this kind of pitch and weather condition.''

Replying to a question, a smiling Pakistani captain said: ``Dhaka is our second home ground.'' But he promptly added: ``I believe, the crowd will support both the sides and enjoy the final.''

``We'll decide our final 12-member team after a meeting in the evening,'' said Akram, a left-handed fast bowler who made hattrick in the league match against Sri Lanka in Lahore last week. Akram is the only bowler with hattrick in both test and one-day cricket. ``I'm fully fit and we have no injury problem in the current team,'' said Sri Lankan skipper Aravinda de Silva, a replacement of Arjuna Ranatunga who is nursing hamstring injury. Aravinda, a dependable middle-order batsman, missed the Pakistan-Sri Lanka match in Lahore because of injury.

The Sri Lankan captain said they would decide the final team tomorrow morning. Aravinda, who expressed his optimism of winning the final, declined to make any comment on the pitch. He, however, said his bowlers will bowl ``wicket to wicket.''

About his captaincy, the veteran campaigner said: ``I got the challenge and will try my best.''

About the Pakistan team, he said they are a ``good side but we'll play to our potential.''

Teams

Pakistan: Wasim Akram (captain), Saeed Anwar, Wajahatullah Wasti, Imran Nazir, Ijaz Ahmed, Yousuf Yohanna, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Moin Khan, Shoaib Akhter, Saqlain Mushtaq, Arshad Khan, Azhar Mahmood and Shahid Nazir.

Sri Lanka: Aravinda de Silva (captain), Hashan Tillekeratne (vice-captain), Russel Arnold, Avishka Gunawardane, Mahela Jayawardena, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Marvan Atapattu, Chaminda Vass, Pramodaya Wickremasinghe, Upal Chandana, Ruchira Perera, Sajeewa De Silva, Ruwan Kalpage and Chandika Hathurasinghe.

Umpires: David Shepherd (England) and Doug Cowie (New Zealand)
Third Umpire: VK Ramaswami (India)
Match Referee: Cammie Smith (West Indies)