Thirimanne slammed his 7th ODI fifty and along with Sangakkara, who hit his 84th half-century, put up a solid partnership to lead the Sri Lankan run charge.
Thirimanne's fifty was also his first against Pakistan and it came off 56 balls in the 20th over with 6 boundaries to his credit.
The Thirimanne-Sangakkara duo brought up their 100-run partnership off 98 balls to steady the Sri Lankan innings after Umar Gul gave Pakistan the first breakthrough.
Gul had Kusal Perera caught behind soon after Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and chose to bat.
When he was on 12, Sangakkara became only the second Sri Lankan batsman after Sanath Jayasuriya to reach the 12,000-run mark in one-day internationals.
After winning the toss, Mathews said that they have got their full strength side back again apart from Nuwan Kulasekara. He added that it's a fresh start and they need to start well to get the momentum going.
Misbah said they don't really know what to make of the pitch but the last time they played here it was really slow. He also mentioned that they have gone with the same set of players that played in the UAE last year.
The pitch is an absolutely well rolled wicket. It has dead grass and is really flat. There is nothing in it for the fast bowlers. The spinners will have a major role to play. There is a chance for a little bit of dew in the evening. In short, it is a batting paradise.
Defending champions Pakistan have come into the tournament with a team balancing experienced players and newcomers.
But Sri Lanka have one thing in their favour -- it played a month ago in Bangladesh, winning two Tests, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20s.
Pakistan would be taking spirit from the series wins over Sri Lanka and South Africa and also from the fact that they beat hosts Bangladesh in the 2012 final.
Teams:
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (Capt.), Sharjeel Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Bilawal Bhatti, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan.
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (Capt.), Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Chaturanga De Silva, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal.
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