Tanya Aldred in The Spin,8 October 2018 where the title is “How Sri Lanka’s magical 1996 cocktail paved the way for Morgan’s men”
As England and Sri Lanka prepare for the five-match one-day series starting on Wednesday in Dambulla, a warm-up of sorts for the World Cup now less than eight months away, it feels the right time to stumble backwards 22 years, to one of cricket’s greatest stories.
On 17 March 1996, in the sultry atmosphere of Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka’s captain, lifted the World Cup high into the air. No one could quite believe it. Sri Lanka, the baby brother of the Asian block, the international whipping boys, had popped out of the hat, brandishing a party popper, a grin and a new kick-ass way of playing the game.
Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga celebrates with his team after winning the Cricket World Cup final against Australia in Lahore in 1996. Photograph: John Parkin/Getty Images
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@CRICFAN56623542: Luck is part of the game. Better teams make use of luck…Fakhar dropped on 3 made century.. Koli dropped out the next ball. Pakistan is way ahead of india on head to head and yes India was neither the best ever. It was always Australia and West Indies of the old. Things get open now with a not so dominant Australia but frankly speaking i think it is a rare low from them as well as south Africa. And you said “will not ever”, my friend no one can know that. I always thought teams winning on home grounds should not get the same points as those who win as visitors. ICC should review the point system. I believe that teams winning at home should get half the value of points as those winning as visitors. Put that in the system and you will see how your so called big 4 falls to the ground.
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