Sri Lanka named a 14-player side for the tournament, unchanged from the team that won the 1996 World Cup.
Former captain and fast-bowler Wasim Akram had pulled out of the tournament due to an injury, and veteran batsman Javed Miandad retired after the 1996 World Cup.
Leading batsman Vinod Kambli and medium-fast bowler Salil Ankola were dropped from the team.
[9] Sanath Jayasuriya also scored the fastest fifty in ODIs at that time– in 17 balls against Pakistan in the final – surpassing Australia's Simon O'Donnell's 18-ball record, made against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in 1989–90.
[6] Pakistani captain Aamir Sohail made the second-highest number of runs, scoring 140 in 3 innings at an average of 70.00.
[4] The tournament's leading wicket-taker was Pakistani spin bowler Saqlain Mushtaq, who took a total of 8 wickets at an average of 16.2 and a best of 3/38.