ICC Cricket World Cup 1996

Tournament Overview

Series Overview

The 1996 Wills World Cup in the Indian subcontinent — co-hosted by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka — produced a tournament that changed cricket forever. Sri Lanka, written off before a ball was bowled, arrived with a tactical innovation that upended 20 years of ODI convention: Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana would attack from the very first ball, taking advantage of the fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs. It worked beyond anyone's expectations. Sri Lanka battered top teams in the early stages and built momentum all the way to the final. In the semi-finals, India hosted Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, Calcutta — a 100,000-strong crowd watched India collapse and the terraces erupt in riot. The match was abandoned and awarded to Sri Lanka amid scenes of extraordinary violence. In the final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Australia set 242. Aravinda de Silva arrived at the crease with Sri Lanka in trouble at 23/2 and produced one of the greatest World Cup innings ever played: an unbeaten 107 that guided Sri Lanka home with 7 wickets and 22 balls to spare. De Silva was Player of the Tournament in one of the finest individual World Cup performances the game has seen. Sri Lanka's triumph was cricket's great underdog story.

Key Highlights

• 1Sri Lanka won their first World Cup — Aravinda de Silva scored an unbeaten 107 in the final
• 2Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana revolutionised batting with their pinch-hitting strategy in the powerplay
• 3Sri Lanka's quarter-final was awarded when the Calcutta crowd rioted after India collapsed — the atmosphere was incredible and frightening in equal measure
• 4de Silva was the standout of the tournament — 448 runs including three centuries in the knockout matches
• 5The final in Lahore saw Australia need 6 runs per over from ball one — Sri Lanka's bowling was clinical

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