World Cup Recap: The sixth edition – 1996

Tags: World Cup Recap, Australia, Sri Lanka

Published on: Jan 03, 2015

The sixth edition of the cricket World Cup saw the premier tournament return to the sub-continent in less than a decade.

The sixth edition of the cricket World Cup saw the premier tournament return to the sub-continent in less than a decade. By now, India had become a major force in world cricket. The event was held in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka from February 14 to March 17. Twelve teams took part in the event. Apart from Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe had also gained Test status by now. Three associate members who took part in the event were United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Kenya.


The teams were divided into two groups of six teams each. The first round remained a round-robin, wherein a team faced in the other in the group once, and the top four sides made it to the quarter-finals, which kicked off the knockout stage. England and Sri Lanka met in the first quarters at Faisalabad, and Sanath Jayasuriya’s 82 saw Lanka beat England by five wickets. In the second one, the biggest game of the tournament, India thrashed Pakistan at Bangalore by 39 runs. West Indies shocked tournament favourites South Africa by 19 runs at Karachi to progress to the semis, and Australia sealed the final spot by defeating the Kiwis at Chennai by six wickets.


Semi-final 1: In spite of losing their openers early, Sri Lanka had posted a competitive 251 for 8 at Eden Gardens after being put into bat rather surprisingly. Aravinda De Silva was the star for Lanka with 66 from 47 balls while Javagal Srinath claimed three wickets for India. In response, India lost the in-form Navjot Sidhu early, but Sachin Tendulkar’s half-century kept them on course. At 65 however, Tendulkar was stumped down the leg-side and India soon slumped to 120 for 8. The crowd could not take the humiliation any longer and fired ‘missiles’ on to the ground. As a result, the match had to be awarded to Lanka.


Semi-final 2: In the other low-profile semi-final at Mohali, Australia faced the Windies. Batting first, Australia collapsed to 15 for 4, but Stuart Law’s 72 gave them something to bowl at. Michael Bevan also chipped in with 69. Curtly Ambrose and Ian Bishop picked up to scalps each as the Windies reduced Aussies to 207 for 8. In response, West Indies were 165 for 2 at one stage when opener Shivnarine Chanderpaul fell for a brilliant 80. Windies collapsed in the aftermath, losing 8 for 37. Shane Warne starred with 4 for 36.


The final: Against all odds, Sri Lanka met Australia in the final at Lahore. Australia batted first, and a hundred-run second-wicket partnership between Mark Taylor (74) and Ricky Ponting (45) laid a solid base for them. However, de Silva dismissed both of them, and Australia’s lower-order couldn’t consolidate as they were restricted to 241 for 7. Lanka’s reply was led by de Silva again, who thwarted the Aussie bowling and smashed an unbeaten hundred to seal victory for Lanka. Asanka Gurusinha (65) and skipper Arjuna Ranatunga (47 not out) played the perfect supporting roles for Lanka.


--By A Cricket Analyst

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