By Charles Haviland BBC News, Hambantota

	There have been delays in completing the construction of the new stadium

The country is engulfed in World Cup fever as much as India and Bangladesh but most fans have had to travel a long way for this opening sell-out match.

A drum ensemble is lending a rhythm to all the games here.

The sparkling new stadium in the president’s home district has risen up in just one year on a site which was earlier scrub jungle.

Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996. And as co-hosts with an ardent home following, they feel they can do it again.

From 14 teams to 10

The veteran batsman and former captain, Mahela Jayawardena, is playing his fourth World Cup.

"From the first one to the last one I have played I have learned a lot, so hopefully I can pass on that to some of the youngsters who are going to play in their first World Cup to try and get them to enjoy it rather than it being a burden," he said.

It is a shame, it is very disappointing for players like us who were looking for opportunities to play against the best in the world Ashish Bagai on reducing the number of teams at the next World Cup

Canada, Sunday’s underdogs, feel they have improved a lot since a humiliating defeat by Sri Lanka in their last meeting eight years ago.

They are looking forward to this match; but their captain, Ashish Bagai, is disappointed that in the next finals the number of teams will drop from 14 to just 10, severely denting the hopes of the so-called minnows including Canada.

"It is a shame, it is very disappointing for players like us who were looking for opportunities to play against the best in the world," Bagai told the journalists.

"I think that is the only way to improve as cricketers, as nations, and I think it’s really going to hold back the growth of the game."

This opening match has been sold-out for days.

There is some unhappiness that the authorities have, for obscure reasons said to involve security, banned spectators from bringing in musical instruments, which will rule out something that is usually a cricketing institution here – namely, small pitch-side bands spurring on the national team.