DHAKA: Pakistan are chasing Sri Lanka-set 297-run target to win the opening one-dayer of the Asia Cup cricket tournament on Tuesday.

The 12th edition of the Asia Cup tournament kicked off at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium with the match in the afternoon.

Opener Lahiru Thirimanne made his second ODI hundred to power Sri Lanka to a challenging 296 for six in stipulated 50-over.

Thirimanne hit 11 fours and a six in his 110-ball 102-run innings and starred in a 161-run stand with Kumar Sangakkara (67) for the second wicket to lay the foundation for a huge score.

For Pakistan, Umar Gul (38) and Shahid Afridi (56) picked up two wickets each, while Saeed Ajmal (1/50) took one.

Four Test-playing nations Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and an ICC associate Afghanistan are contestants of the tournament.

Five of the matches in the tournament, including the opening match, will be played at the stadium in Fatullah.

Six matches, including the Final one, will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

Pakistan arrived with the confidence of two series wins against South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Besides, Sri Lanka are also prepared for the big tournament as they have just won all series of Test, T20 and ODI against Bangladesh during their month-long stay in Bangladesh.

India, on the other hand, loses a bit of ground because of their recent slump.

Pakistan squad:
Misbah-ul-Haq*, Abdur Rehman, Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Bilawal Bhatti, Fawad Alam, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Talha, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Sharjeel Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Akmal†, Umar Gul

Sri Lanka squad:
AD Mathews*, LD Chandimal, PC de Silva, DPMD Jayawardene, RAS Lakmal, SL Malinga, BAW Mendis, MDKJ Perera†, NLTC Perera, KTGD Prasad, SMA Priyanjan, KC Sangakkara†, SMSM Senanayake, HDRL Thirimanne

BDST: 1247 HRS, FEB 25, 2014