1996 Cricket World Cup Final
Encyclopedia
The 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup Final was the sixth installment of the ICC Cricket World Cup since its inception in 1975 in England. The match was played on 17 March 1996 at Lahore's 62,645 capacity Gaddafi Stadium
in Pakistan for the first time.
The match was contested between former World Cup winners Australia and underdog
Sri Lanka. It was Australia's third World Cup final appearance after their win in the 1987 edition and the loss to West Indies in the 1975 ICC Cricket World Cup final.
Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga
won the toss and sent Australia out to bat. After a blazing start from captain Mark Taylor
and young superstar and future captain Ricky Ponting
, Australia fell from being 1-137 to 5-170 after which Sri Lanka's 4 prong spin attack took its toll. After Australia limped to 7-241 in its quota of 50 overs, Sri Lanka overcame a nervous start where they lost both openers before the score was 30, to win in 45 overs. Sri Lankan batting sensation Aravinda De Silva
played a match-winning knock of 107 not out and was assisted ably by fellow veterans Asanka Gurusingha (65) and captain Ranatunga (47 not out). De Silva was named man of the match after he had taken 3-42 in his 10 overs eairlier in the Australian innings as well.
was the subject of much scrutiny during the tour as he was called for 'chucking' during the Boxing Day Test of 1995 by field umpire Darrell Hair. After the test series resulting in a resounding 3-0 win to Australia, the triangular one-day series, known as the 'Benson and Hedges World Series' was a much closer contest. Along with other participants the West Indies, Sri Lanka proved a challenge for the all conquering Australian team, who were not able to win easily like their past fixtures. Sri Lanka brushed the West Indies aside to reach the final of the tournament against Australia, sporting a full head of steam after defeating Australia in their previous match at the MCG
. However, Australia ran out 2-0 winners and the tension between the teams was evident through the post-tournament celebrations. Mark Taylor, Australia's captain had offered to shake the hand of Ranatunga, who declined. Many thought that this was due to the Muralitharan affair. Many Sri Lankans cited the incident as an act of racism and discrimination towards the Sri Lankans and to Muralitharan himself. This was augmented by the chants from the fanatic Australian fans yelling No Ball!!" every time Muralitharan bowled a ball. Tensions, further overboiled with Australia refusing to play a scheduled World Cup group match in Colombo, Sri Lanka due to safety issues. Thus, handing Sri Lanka the points.
Sri Lanka had finished top of Group A ahead of Australia in who were in the same group.
Their first match of the tournament was scheduled to be against Australia themselves at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo
. However, Australia citing safety concerns refused to play the game and forfeited, giving Sri Lanka a handy 2 points. Their next match against Zimbabwe also in Colombo proved to be an easy win for the Lankans with De Silva pounding 91 off 86 balls to lead the chase of 228 in 37 overs. The West Indies then also followed suit handing Sri Lanka a further 2 points for the same reason as the Australians. Sri Lanka then head to Delhi
, India to take on an in-forn India, or an inform Tendulkar. Tendulkar blitzed a century before Sanath Jayasuriya
provided some fireworks of his own smashing 79 off 76 balls and leading Sri Lanka to a comfortable 6 wicket win chasing 272 for victory. Sri Lanka's final group match was against the lowly Kenya who had upset the West Indies earlier in the tournament. However, Sri Lanka were far from complacent as a ruthless batting display lead them to the highest One Day International Team Score ever scoring 5-398 in their 50 overs. De Silva once again the star this time scoring 145.
Sri Lanka then faced England in the quarter-finals of the competition. But the Englishmen proved to be no contest for the Sri Lankan's as new star Sanath Jayasuriya revelled in his opening role scoring a merciless 82 off 44 balls leading Sri Lanka to reach the score of 237 in 40 overs.
The semi-finals saw Sri Lanka pitted against India yet again at the 120,000 seater stadium of Eden Gardens
in Kolkata, India. India were hot favourites to win, despite Sri Lanka's hot form coming into the game. India's home advantage was expected to see them through to the final. Captain Mohammad Azharuddin
won the toss and knowing Sri Lanka's ability to chase down totals whilst batting second, put them in to bat first, even though the pitch was predicted to play up under the floodlights. Sri Lanka's hopes seemed to be dashed as they lost both Jayasuriya and the equally destructive Romesh Kaluwitharana
in the first over of the innings leaving Sri Lanka at 2-0. However, De Silva made a counter attacking 66 off just 47 balls shifting the momentum back to the Lankans. Sri Lanka eventually reached 8-251 from their 50 overs thanks to their long batting order. However, it again looked bleak for Sri Lanka as Sachin Tendulkar
, India's own batting sensation lead India to 1-98 in around 20 overs. But his dismissal triggered an amazing collapse which left the favourites at 8-120. The Kolkata crown began to throw bottles and other projectiles at the Sri Lankans who were awarded the match by default.
Gaddafi Stadium
Gaddafi Stadium is a cricket ground in Lahore, Pakistan. It was designed by Daghestani-born architect and engineer Nasreddin Murat-Khan who also designed Lahore's Minar-e-Pakistan and constructed by Mian Abdul Khaliq and Company in 1959. Following the ground's renovation for the 1996 Cricket World...
in Pakistan for the first time.
The match was contested between former World Cup winners Australia and underdog
Underdog (competition)
An underdog is a person or group in a competition, frequently in electoral politics, sports and creative works, who is popularly expected to lose. The party, team or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the rare case where an underdog wins, the outcome is an upset. These...
Sri Lanka. It was Australia's third World Cup final appearance after their win in the 1987 edition and the loss to West Indies in the 1975 ICC Cricket World Cup final.
Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga
Arjuna Ranatunga
Arjuna Ranatunga is a retired Sri Lankan cricketer and politician. He was the captain of Sri Lankan cricket team, and led them to an unbeaten title-winning campaign at the 1996 Cricket World Cup...
won the toss and sent Australia out to bat. After a blazing start from captain Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor (cricketer)
Mark Anthony Taylor, AO is a former Australian cricket player and Test opening batsman from 1988–1999, as well as captain from 1994–1999, succeeding Allan Border...
and young superstar and future captain Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
, Australia fell from being 1-137 to 5-170 after which Sri Lanka's 4 prong spin attack took its toll. After Australia limped to 7-241 in its quota of 50 overs, Sri Lanka overcame a nervous start where they lost both openers before the score was 30, to win in 45 overs. Sri Lankan batting sensation Aravinda De Silva
Aravinda de Silva
Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who is considered one of the finest batsmen produced by the country.He is also regarded as one of the most elegant batsman in his generation, and to date is the only player to make a hundred and take 3 or more wickets in a world cup...
played a match-winning knock of 107 not out and was assisted ably by fellow veterans Asanka Gurusingha (65) and captain Ranatunga (47 not out). De Silva was named man of the match after he had taken 3-42 in his 10 overs eairlier in the Australian innings as well.
Background
Australia and Sri Lanka had never previously faced each other in a major tournament final. Australia were former winners of the World Cup in 1987 whilst Sri Lanka had never gotten past the group stages of the competition. The two teams however, had a fierce rivalry stemming from Sri Lanka's tour to Australia in the summer of 1995/1996. Their up and coming spin bowler Muttiah MuralitharanMuttiah Muralitharan
Muttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002...
was the subject of much scrutiny during the tour as he was called for 'chucking' during the Boxing Day Test of 1995 by field umpire Darrell Hair. After the test series resulting in a resounding 3-0 win to Australia, the triangular one-day series, known as the 'Benson and Hedges World Series' was a much closer contest. Along with other participants the West Indies, Sri Lanka proved a challenge for the all conquering Australian team, who were not able to win easily like their past fixtures. Sri Lanka brushed the West Indies aside to reach the final of the tournament against Australia, sporting a full head of steam after defeating Australia in their previous match at the MCG
McG
Joseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
. However, Australia ran out 2-0 winners and the tension between the teams was evident through the post-tournament celebrations. Mark Taylor, Australia's captain had offered to shake the hand of Ranatunga, who declined. Many thought that this was due to the Muralitharan affair. Many Sri Lankans cited the incident as an act of racism and discrimination towards the Sri Lankans and to Muralitharan himself. This was augmented by the chants from the fanatic Australian fans yelling No Ball!!" every time Muralitharan bowled a ball. Tensions, further overboiled with Australia refusing to play a scheduled World Cup group match in Colombo, Sri Lanka due to safety issues. Thus, handing Sri Lanka the points.
Road To Lahore
Sri LankaSri Lanka had finished top of Group A ahead of Australia in who were in the same group.
Their first match of the tournament was scheduled to be against Australia themselves at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
. However, Australia citing safety concerns refused to play the game and forfeited, giving Sri Lanka a handy 2 points. Their next match against Zimbabwe also in Colombo proved to be an easy win for the Lankans with De Silva pounding 91 off 86 balls to lead the chase of 228 in 37 overs. The West Indies then also followed suit handing Sri Lanka a further 2 points for the same reason as the Australians. Sri Lanka then head to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, India to take on an in-forn India, or an inform Tendulkar. Tendulkar blitzed a century before Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Teran Jayasuriya is a former Sri Lankan cricketer. An all-rounder, he played for the Sri Lankan cricket team from 1989 to 2011...
provided some fireworks of his own smashing 79 off 76 balls and leading Sri Lanka to a comfortable 6 wicket win chasing 272 for victory. Sri Lanka's final group match was against the lowly Kenya who had upset the West Indies earlier in the tournament. However, Sri Lanka were far from complacent as a ruthless batting display lead them to the highest One Day International Team Score ever scoring 5-398 in their 50 overs. De Silva once again the star this time scoring 145.
Sri Lanka then faced England in the quarter-finals of the competition. But the Englishmen proved to be no contest for the Sri Lankan's as new star Sanath Jayasuriya revelled in his opening role scoring a merciless 82 off 44 balls leading Sri Lanka to reach the score of 237 in 40 overs.
The semi-finals saw Sri Lanka pitted against India yet again at the 120,000 seater stadium of Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
in Kolkata, India. India were hot favourites to win, despite Sri Lanka's hot form coming into the game. India's home advantage was expected to see them through to the final. Captain Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin also known as Azhar, is an Indian politician and former cricketer. He was an accomplished batsman and captained the Indian cricket team for much of the 1990s, until his involvement in a match-fixing scandal forced him into retirement...
won the toss and knowing Sri Lanka's ability to chase down totals whilst batting second, put them in to bat first, even though the pitch was predicted to play up under the floodlights. Sri Lanka's hopes seemed to be dashed as they lost both Jayasuriya and the equally destructive Romesh Kaluwitharana
Romesh Kaluwitharana
Romesh Shantha Kaluwitharana is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 49 Test and 189 ODIs from 1990 to 2004...
in the first over of the innings leaving Sri Lanka at 2-0. However, De Silva made a counter attacking 66 off just 47 balls shifting the momentum back to the Lankans. Sri Lanka eventually reached 8-251 from their 50 overs thanks to their long batting order. However, it again looked bleak for Sri Lanka as Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
, India's own batting sensation lead India to 1-98 in around 20 overs. But his dismissal triggered an amazing collapse which left the favourites at 8-120. The Kolkata crown began to throw bottles and other projectiles at the Sri Lankans who were awarded the match by default.
External links
- Cricket World Cup 1996 Scorecards in CricketFundas
- Cricket World Cup 1996 from CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...