On This Day in 1996: Sri Lanka Defeat Australia to Clinch Maiden World Cup Title

this day: 1996 was the year Sri Lankan cricket changed for the better and under the charismatic leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga, they overturned their mediocre record in World Cup cricket to win their maiden title by defeating Australia in the final in Lahore.

It was also the tournament that saw Sanath Jayasuriya redefine the art of batting first. He was explosive earlier and was well assisted by the reliable Aravinda de Silva. Even though he got out early in the final match, his overall performance helped him win the man of the series award. De Silva was the man of the match for his unbeaten century in the final.

While the batting was explosive, and the bowling very penetrating in favorable conditions, the Sri Lankan fielding stood out for their athleticism and, in many ways, set the template for fielding in limited overs cricket.

At the Gaddafi Stadium, Sri Lanka asked Australia to bat first after winning the toss. Thanks to the efforts of Mark Taylor, Australia managed to post a decent total of 241/7. Chasing the target, Sri Lanka got off to a terrible start with both openers Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana falling cheaply. However, the innings was propelled by Asanka Gurusinha (65) and Aravinda de Silva, who stitched a solid partnership to lay a good foundation.

De Silva ended on 107 and was greatly supported by skipper Arjuna Ranatunga (47) and helped them seal a memorable and historic seven-wicket victory with almost four overs to spare.

This tournament changed Sri Lankan cricket as it was a team that had not made it to the knockouts of all the previous five World Cups and won their first final and it was a great achievement.

Following this feat, the Sri Lankan team went on to appear in five finals in the next 10 ICC World Tournaments (50 overs and 20 overs) and won their first World T20 in 2014, defeating India.

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