His side can keep Mendis quiet.

PAKISTAN are confident they can muzzle master spinner Ajantha Mendis when their three-match ODI series gets underway in Karachi today. Mendis, who made his debut in the West Indies in May last year, became the fastest bowler to get 50 wickets, achieving the total in 19 matches, breaking Indian Ajit Agarkar's record of 23 matches. But Shoaib Malik's side claim they know all the tricks up the magician's sleeve and will be out to attack him. "Mendis is a relatively new bowler and we have prepared a strategy to tackle him. It's a secret - you will find out about it during the series," the Pakistan skipper said. But while they may well be able to nullify Mendis the hosts will still have to contend with Muttiah Muralitharan. And once again Shoaib is confident his team can tackle a tough opponent. "We have faced Murali on several occasions in the past and most of our batsmen have done well against him," he added. Malik, who was retained as Pakistan skipper following his team's 3-0 ODI whitewash against West Indies in Abu Dhabi last November, is under no illusions as to the size of the task ahead. "There's no doubt that Sri Lanka are one of the best teams in the world," the 26-year-old all-rounder said. "But we are also playing well as a team, which is why I'm expecting some tight games in the series. "It's a short series and winning the first match is going to be crucial." Meanwhile, with all the hype surrounding man-of-the-moment Mendis it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that the 23-year-old feels the pressure and fails to live up to the hype. But his captain Mahela Jayawardene is confident Mendis will spin his side to victory. "Pressure does not effect Mendis," he said. "He knows what his role is, at the same time there are some really good guys around him giving him advice, especially Murali," Jayawardene added.

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