ICC WORLD CUP 2011 Flashback won the World Cup in 1996

awarded both games on forfeit. Three teams players left the field for 20 minutes in an attempt made their World Cup debuts in 1996: the to quieten the crowd. When the players , the and returned for play, more bottles were Kenya. The Netherlands lost each of their thrown onto the field and fires were lit Indian Kapil five matches while the U.A.E. only beat the in the stand. Match referee Dev receiving the trophy Dutch. Kenya, however, recorded a surprise awarded the match to Sri Lanka, the when won the 1983 victory over the West Indies in . first default ever in a Test or One Day World Cup India’s 1983 Captain holds aloft the glittering trophy The Sri Lankans, used Man of the Series International. awarded to Sri Lanka by the late president, Benazir [1] and Romesh Kaluwitha- In the second semi-final in , Bhutto when they won the World Cup in 1996 rana as opening batsmen to take advantage of the recovered from 15 for 4 to The 1996 (aka Wills World fielding restrictions during the first 15 overs of each reach 207 for 8 from their 50 overs. The Cup) was won by Sri Lanka who beat Australia by 7 innings. West Indians had reached 165 for 2 in World Cup Victory at the final in . At a time when 50 or 60 runs in the first 15 overs the 42nd over before losing their last 8 The 1996 World Cup was played in India, Paki- was considered adequate, Sri Lanka scored 117 runs wickets for 37 runs in 50 balls. stan and Sri Lanka. in those overs against India, 123 against Kenya, 121 Sri Lanka won the toss in the final and by Ranjan Controversy dogged the tournament before any against England in the quarter-final and 86 against sent Australia in to bat despite the team Anandappa the Indians to bat and were dis- which included the likes of Gordon games were played, however, when Australia and India in the semi-final. Against Kenya, Sri Lanka first having won all five previous missed for 183 in 54.4 overs in a 60 Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Viv- the West Indies refused to send their teams to made 398 for 5, a new record for the highest team World Cup finals. top scored After dominating the overs per side competition. In that ian Richards, Clive Lloyd and Larry Sri Lanka following the Central Bank Bombing score in a one-day international that stood until with 74 in Australia’s total of 241 for 7. first two World Cup cricket era there were no field restrictions, Gomescould complete a hat-trick of by the Tamil Tigers in January, citing security April 2006. After Australia had put down no fewer than championships in `1975 power plays, thirty yard circles etc. wins without expending too much concerns. Sri Lanka, in addition to offering Sri Lanka won the first semi-final over India at five catches, Sri Lanka won the match in the and 1979 the West Indian and a bowler was allowed to bowl a time. maximum security to the teams, questioned , in front of a crowd unof- 47th over with following shackle was broken by stipulated number of 12 overs. But the West Indian batsmen the validity of citing security concerns when ficially estimated at 110 000. Chasing Sri Lanka’s his 3 for 42 with an unbeaten 107 to win the India, when they beat the India were soon in trouble losing soon found the boot on the other the International Cricket Council had deter- innings of 251 for 8, India had slumped to 120 for award. It was the first West Indies by 43 runs for 2 with only two foot when the Indian medium pace mined it was safe. After extensive nego- 8 in the 35th over when sections of crowd began to time a tournament host or co-host had won in the final at the Lord’s runs on the board. But hard hitting attack comprising skipper Kapil tiations ICC ruled that Sri Lanka would be throw fruit and plastic bottles onto the field. The the cricket World Cup. Cricket grounds on June Krish Srikanth batted aggressively Dev, Balwinder Singh Sandu, 23rd 1983. to score 38 and with Mohinder and Mohinder Amar- After 28 long years, Amarnath brought the score upto nath denting the West Indian early India who could not 59. With a useful 27 by Sandeep batting. Sandu and Madan Lal got make much of an impact Patil, India managed to reach a rid of the most feared openers at in the last 2007 World disappointing 183 runs, leaving that time and ’s 65 in Sri Lanka’s Cup held in the West the powerful West Indian batting Desmond Haynes with 50 runs Indies, and were elimi- machinery to get only 184 runs on the board and there after none nated in the initial to win. of the West Indian batsmen really stages of the tourna- The West Indian vaunted pace dominated the as they usu- ment became the attack of the fastest bowlers in the ally did. 1996 win - still remembered proud recipients of the world at that time, , After the dismissal of one drop coveted World Cup in Joel Garner, and batsman Vivian Richards who was their own soil this Michael Holding gave no respite to the top scorer with 33 caught year, the Wankede the Indian batsmen Sunil Gavaskar, by to a superb run- Lanka won under Arjuna tury in the ‘big’ match Stadium in Krish Srikanth. ning catch, the rest of the Carib- by Ranjan Ranatunga. against Ananda and he where they won the However, SriKanth remained bean batsmen succumbed to the Anandappa Gurusinha laid the went on to a another mile- final will no doubt the top scorer with 38 facing 57 immensepressure inserted by the Schoolboy Cricketer foundation for a Sri Lank- stone _ 1000 runs for the linger in the cricket deliveries with seven fours. Andy Indian bowlers. 1985: The Sunday an win while chasing a season. Subsequently, he crazy Indian public Roberts was the pick of the bowl- There was nothingspectacular in Observer Schoolboy victory target when the struck a century against minds. ers taking 3 for 32 in 10 overs. the Indian bowling, but it was a Cricketer Of The Year side lost two early wick- the touring Indian team The 1983final Marshall, Holding and Gomes took steady medium pace attack which Contests which has ets of openers Romesh for the Board President’s was a low scoring 2 wickets a piece. included skipper Kapil Dev, Madan gone from strength Kaluvitharana and San- XI, that eventually paved affair, when the Taking into account, the paltry Lal, and Mohinder to strength has no ath Jayasuriya early for the way for his Test place. West Indian captain total of 183 scored by India, it ‘Jimmy’ Amarnath. Jubilation all doubt provided the 23 runs. Then Gurusinha Asanka Gurusinha Clive Lloyd won was a foregone conclusion that the Played at Lord’s London on 23rd round stepping stone for the (65) and Aravinda de made his Test debut the toss and asked might of the West Indian batting June 1983. national cricket team Silva brought the score against Pakistan in 1986 as almost 90 percent to 148, De Silva went on in the third Test match scored almost 4000 runs of the winners have to make a grand unbeat- in and soon with an average of 28.27 gone on to represent en century (107) which established his place as with two centuries and 22 the country at the eventually sealed the final a reliable number three half centuries. He consid- highest level. in Sri Lanka’s favour. batsman. ers the 1996 World Cup The contest, has Gurusinha, blossomed In his international win, defeating Australia Aravinda’s century paves the way not only given rec- as a talented left-hand cricket career span- in Pakistan as the most ognition, but also batsman on the Sri Lanka ning over eleven years, monumental moment in the motivation and Under 19 cricket tour of Gurusinha has played 41 his cricketing career. That the encouragement Australia under team- Test matches and 147 memorable win will never needed for the mate Aravinda de Silva. ODIs for Sri Lanka. He be erased from his mind players. One such Gurusinha on that tour has scored 2,452 Test wherever he lives. for World Cup win player is the former of Australia, scored a runs including seven cen- Sri Lanka Test and fine 154 in the opening turies and eight half cen- A champion at school cricket, a Aravinda de Silva is now the of 7 wickets. the early Sri Lankan had fallen into. The two batsmen ODI player Asanka match at Brisbane against turies with an average of maestro in inter-club cricket and Chairman of cricket selectors and he bowlers had not made much impres- Gurusinha and Aravinda de Silva Gurusinha the Queensland that included 38.92. Sri Lanka representative cricket and richly deserves the honour of picking sion on the Australian batsmen, but did not disappoint. The pair put Observer School- Craig McDermott, who In the 147 One- to it all, a skilful allrounder par various Sri Lanka teams as he has when Aravinda de Silva came on to on 125 runs for the third boy Cricketer was a contemporary of day Internationals, excellence in international cricket the makings of a good selector. In his bowl, he had the Australian batsmen and Gurusinha was the third out 1985. He played Gurusinha. Gurusinha and now a responsible administrator own words he said, “When we won somewhat quite and tied the bats- with his score at 65 and the total a prominent role In 1985, Gurusinha has of cricket - that is Aravinda de Silva - the world Cup we had a fine batting men down. at 148. But Aravinda de silva stood Sanath Jayasuriya being congratulat- in the 1996 World captained Nalanda and the present Chairman of the Cricket side and to back up the batting, we He was the last bowler to be tried his ground well and refused to be ed when he was selected as the ‘Most Cup which Sri scored a cen- Board Selection Committee. also had a good fielding side. Our by skipper Arjuna Ranatunga and he beaten against the Aussie bowlers. valuable player of the series’ Cricket came to Aravinda de Silva bowling was capable of containing did wonderfully well to restrict the Then in came skipper Ranatun- in a flash and he grabbed all the any team. The day was March 17, scoring of the Australians. So, Ara- ga to join Aravinda de silva at the opportunities and made good prog- 1996 - the venue in vinda de silva did not disappoint the wickets. ress in the game. Many were the Lahore, Pakistan. faith that Ranatunga placed on him This pair played bright cricket performances when he was playing Sri Lanka won the toss and sent and he captured 3 for 42 to put the scoring freely all round the wick- for his school - D. S. Senanayake Australia to bat and this decision by brakes on the Australian batsmen. et and were not bothered by the College and from there he graduated skipper Arjuna Ranatunga turned When it was time for the Austra- Australian bowlers. Bright cricket into club cricket and finally to inter- out to be correct as the Sri Lankan lian team to stop - they were 241 for was the order of the day with national cricket. bowlers didn’t give the Australian 7 wickets and their quota of overs both batsmen playing freely. The It is said that one has to learn the batsmen the freedom that they liked were exhausted. fourth wicket unbeaten rudiments of any game at school to play free flowing strokes to collect The score by the Aussies was not realised 97 runs and it paved the level and Aravinda de silva picked their runs. a huge one, but it was quite a moder- way for victory to be achieved by up all the finer points in the world The Australians on that occasion ate total. the Sri Lankans. of batting while at D. S. Senanayake opened the batting with Mark Tay- Came Sri Lanka’s turn at the Both Sri Lankan batsmen were College and made gradual progress lor and M. Waugh. The first wicket wicket, but it was not a elegant severe on the Aussie bowlers. with in the final points of batsmanship as that of Waugh at 36 and then Ricky start and two quick wickets fell - both Ranatunga and Aravinda de he grew up and really blossomed out Ponting who joined Taylor built up Sanath Jayasuriya was run out for silva scoring freely, the Aussie to be a crackerjack batsman once he a partnership of 101 runs for the 9 with the score at 12 and then bowlers somewhat suffered. With came to the big fold. second wicket. the other opener Romesh Kalu- only three wickets down, only The year 1996 will be a year that Taylor was off with his free scor- witharana was caught by Bevan off Flemming (1 for 43) and P. Reiffel will never be forgotten by Aravinda ing strokes and he made 74 off 83 Fleming for 6 and it was somewhat (1 for 49) were among the wickets. de Silva and all - deliveries and his knock included a of a sorry state of affairs with Sri The third wicket to fall in the Sri ers and fans alike as that year the six and eight fours. Lanka two wickets down for 23 Lanka innings was that of Sanath Lankan flag flew really high at the made 45, 36 runs. Jayasuriya who was run out. So, Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan and 22 and the Austra- Then it was the fine combi- Sri Lanka had a good win in this Asanka Gurusinghe when we laid our hands on the World lians were tied down later and when nation of Asanka Gurusinha and final, thanks mainly to the fine and Aravinda de Cup, becoming champions that year 50 overs were finished the Aussies Aravinda de silva to pull the side allround performance of Aravinda Silva in conversa- in the much talked of tournament. had made 241 runs for the loss out of the somewhat sorry state it de Silva. tion at the World Cup finals in 1996 in Lahore, Pakistan