Cricket World Cup through the years...

Sri Lanka team climbs the ladder of success!

Nafiz Marikar

WORLD CUP CRICKET: Sri Lanka left its fingerprints on the coveted World Cup when it lifted it in 1996. The present team has few players who were a part of the team in that historic triumph. The younger players’ hunger for similar glory has been encouraged by the stories of the victory in 1996 World Cup.

The following is a countdown of Sri Lanka’s participation in the World Cups starting from 1975.

World Cup 1975 - Sri Lankas performance in the last nine World Cups, one occasion became champions and in the last outing were placed number two in the World. Without playing Test cricket Sri Lanka was invited to play in the inaugural tournament in 1975 in England, However the team was out of the competition after the first round.

They once again met with similar results in the next four World Cups as well, however in the fifth tournament, crowned themselves as the champions by beating Australia in the final match played in Pakistan. Our performance in the World Cup, in 1975, 1979, 1983, 1987 and 1992 ended in the round one, 1996 winners, 1999 round I, 2003 semifinalist, 2007 runner-up.

In the first World Cup, Sri Lanka met West Indies in the first game at Manchester on 7th day of June, where West Indies emerged as winners by 9 wickets with 39.2 overs to spare. Sri Lanka were all out for 86 and West Indies 87 for 1.

The second outing was against Australia, that too was a losing game, Australia won by 52 runs. Australia made 328 for 5 and Sri Lanka were 276 for 4 in the allocated overs. In the final, West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs. In which tournament the attendance was 158 thousand, and 10,533 per match.

1979 saw the second World Cup which was organized in England playing the host once again. The tournament stretched on from June 9 to June 23, In total, eight teams played in this tournament, which were divided into two groups (with four teams each).

The teams comprised all the six Test-playing nations (Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies), along with Sri Lanka and Canada.

Sri Lanka was no match against the extremely experienced teams that it was pitted against in the 1979 World Cup. It was forced to keep its 1979 World Cup tour to the first round.

England - third time host

1983 - The third edition of the World Cup was played in 1983.

Once again witnessing the country of England playing as the host, the tournament was played over a period of 17 days, from June 9 to June 25. Eight teams took part, comprising West Indies, England, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, and Zimbabwe. 27 matches were played in total (played during the day and comprising 60 overs per team).

Sri Lanka met Pakistan in the first game of their group and Pakistan were able to win the match by 50 runs, Pakistan 338 for 5 and Sri Lanka 288 for 9. In the second game met England and lost the game by 47 runs. England 339 for 9 and Sri Lanka 286. Against New Zealand, lost by five wickets. Sri Lanka 206 and New Zealand 209 for 5.

Again met Pakistan who scored 235 for 7 and Sri Lanka 224, Pakistan won by 11 runs. Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 3 wickets, New Zealand 181, Sri Lanka 184 for 7. England beat Sri Lanka by 9 wickets, Sri Lanka 136 and England 137 for 1. This tournament went in favour of the Indians, they beat West Indies by 43 runs. Sri Lanka finished last in its Group, with no wins from six matches.

1987 - The fourth World Cup brought across many firsts in the history of the competition. For instance for the first time, games were played out of England. With Pakistan and India being the host. Twenty seven matches were played, ten in Pakistan and seventeen in India.

There were eight teams in action, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, England and Australia with the last two teams moving to the final, in which Australia beat England.

Sri Lanka, played the first game against Pakistan in Hyderabad, and lost by 15 runs, Pakistan 267 for 6 and Sri Lanka 252.

On the second game, West Indies beat Sri Lanka by 191 runs at Karachchi, Sri Lanka 169 for 4 and West Indies 360 for 4. In the third game England beat Sri Lanka by 108 runs at Peshawar. England 296 for 4 and Sri Lanka 158 for 8. The next outing for Sri Lanka was against West Indies, which the West Indians won by 25 runs, West Indies 236 for 8 and Sri Lanka 211 for 8.

Against Pakistan at Faisalabad, Pakistan 297 for 7 and Sri Lanka 184 for 8, Pakistan won by 113 runs. The twenty Second match of the completion was between Sri Lanka and England, which the Englishmen won by eight wickets at Pune. Sri Lanka 218 for 7 and England 219 for 2.

Coloured clothing for first time

1991 - The World Cup fifth edition took place in Australia and New Zealand, which took off to a start on 22nd February and ended on 25th March.

A number of ‘firsts’ were attached in this tournament. For instance, it saw the introduction of coloured clothing for the players, along with white balls and black sightscreens. Not only this, it was the first time that a number of matches were played under floodlights, rather than sunlight.

The number of participating teams went up to nine, with the inclusion of South Africa. 1991 World Cup was marked by many firsts-day and night matches were introduced, white balls and coloured uniforms sprinkled the green turf, this was first World Cup to be played in any African country and so on.

But the 1991 World Cup did not bring about any reversal in Sri Lanka’s luck in the World Cup. It finished eighth in the World Cup.

The first World Cup to be held in the Southern Hemisphere, it also witnessed a complete round robin, replacing the two qualifying groups that were present earlier. The participants included Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

Pakistan, the team that had initially won just one of its first five matches in the World Cup, turned the game later on and went ahead to win the final and claim the trophy, defeating England by 22 runs.

1996 - Our greatest World Cup was in 1996, which was the sixth edition, and saw the matches being played in Sri Lanka at SSC, R. Premadasa and Trinity College grounds Asgiriya.

Stretching on from the 16th day of February to 17th March 1996, which comprised 37 games, six in Sri Lanka, fourteen in Pakistan and 17 in India. The twelve teams were Sri Lanka, Australia, India, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, UAE and Netherlands made their debut. And at the end it was Sri Lanka - Australia final.

In the final match, played between Sri Lanka and Australia, Sri Lanka managed to defeat Australia by 7 wickets. With this, history was created, since it was the first time that the tournament was won by a host or co-host.

Aravinda de Silva won the ‘Man of the Match’, while ‘Man of the Series’ went to Sanath Jayasuriya. Sachin Tendulkar scored the maximum number of runs (523), while Anil Kumble went home as the highest wicket-taker (with 15 wickets in hand).

Sri Lanka’s first match was against Australia in Colombo on 17th February, Sri Lanka received a walk-over. The second game for Sri Lanka was against Zimbabwe in Colombo at SSC grounds, on 21st February, which the Sri Lankans won by six wickets, with 13 overs remaining. The visitors made 228 for 6 and Sri Lanka were home with 229 for 4. The third game against West Indies to be played in Colombo to came in favour of the Sri Lankans was by a ‘walk-over’!

The fourth game was against the Indians, at Delhi, Sri Lanka won by six wickets with 1.2 overs to spare on 2nd March. India 271 for 3 and Sri Lanka 272 for 4. The next game for Sri Lanka was against Kenya at Trinity College Grounds, Asgiriya on 6th March. Sri Lanka won by 144 runs. Sri Lanka 398 for 5 and Kenya 254 for 7.

Then in the quarter-final, it was Sri Lanka vs. England which was played at Faisalabad on 9th of March, which Sri Lanka won by five wickets with 9.2 overs to spare. England 235 for 8 and Sri Lanka 236 for 5.

In the semifinal, between Sri Lanka and India played on 13th at Kolkata, Sri Lanka won by default.” Sri Lanka 251 for 8 and India 120 for 8 in 34 overs. The final was between Sri Lanka and Australia at Lahore on 17th March. Sri Lanka under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga pocketed a seven-wicket win with 3.4 overs remaining. Australia 241 for 7 and Sri Lanka 245 for 3.

Australia become the champs

1999 - Seventh edition - Once again England became the host of the 1999 World Cup. This time England had Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Netherlands as co-host, with twelve teams in action. Australia, England, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Kenya, New Zealand and Scotland. There were 42 games and Australia ended up as winners for the second time.

Sri Lanka failed to get into the super six, and it was Australia who beat Pakistan at Lord’s to become the Champions.

2003 - The eighth World Cup was played in three countries-South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya from February 9th to March 24th. Again the participating teams increased to 14, comprising Australia, India, Kenya, Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe, along with ICC Trophy qualifiers Canada, Namibia and Northan Islands. There were 54 matches played.

The top three teams of each group-Australia, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Zimbabwe played with each other in the super 6 stage. Out of these, Australia, Sri Lanka, India and Kenya qualified for the semis.

The final was between Australia and India, with the former defeating the latter by 48 runs. In this World Cup, Chaminda Vass took the maximum number of wickets twenty three. The attendance was 626,485m which boiled down to 11,608 per match.

In the Super Six, Australia beat Sri Lanka at Centurion, by 96 runs, Australia 319 for 5, Sri Lanka 223. In the second Super Six game India beat Sri Lanka by 183 runs. India 292 for 6, Sri Lanka 109. Sri Lanka were able to beat Zimbabwe by 74 runs at East London. Sri Lanka 256 for 5 Zimbabwe 182.

Sri Lanka playing in the Semis, lost to Australia by 48 runs (D/L method) at Port Elizabeth. Australia 212 for 7, Sri Lanka 123 for 7. At the end, Australia beat India to become the champions.

Sri Lanka runners-up under Mahela

2007 - Ninth edition - Sri Lanka under the leadership of Mahela Jayawardene were placed number two in the 2007 World Cup in West Indies.

It was the ninth edition, in which sixteen teams were in action, apart from the ten full members, ICC included the ICC Trophy qualifiers, Bermuda, Canada, Kenya, Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland.

Though the number of teams increased from 2003, the number of matches came down to 51. With more teams, there was a change in the format, with the total number of teams being equally divided into four groups.

It was 1996 repeat in the final, where Australia and Sri Lanka were the two teams that met. In 1996 Sri Lanka won, but this time it was the other way with Australians winning by 53 runs.

With this win Australia registered its fourth win in the World Cup. Australian bowler Glenn McGrath was named ‘Player of the Series’ he pocketed 26 wickets.

Playing in the semi-finals, Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 81 runs. Sri Lanka 289 for 5 New Zealand 208 and in the final Sri Lanka went down to Australia by 53 runs (D/L method) 281 for 4, Sri Lanka 215 for 8.

2011 - The tenth World Cup is on at present in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh. Started on 19th February and will come to an end on 2nd April.

It is the first time the tournament is being co-hosted by Bangladesh. Fourteen teams are participating, instead of 16. The teams taking part are: Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands and Kenya. The teams are divided into two groups, with seven teams in each. The top four teams from each group will proceed to the quarter-finals.

The winner of the 2011 Cricket World Cup would be awarded with prize money amounting to US$ 4 million. Sri Lanka has entered the last eight and are qualified to play in the knock-out tourney.

1975 World Cup, Sri Lanka finished last in its Group, with no wins from six matches. Thus like all the other previous World Cups, Sri Lanka made a hasty farewell to the tournament in the first round itself.

1991 World Cup - was marked by many firsts- day and night matches were introduced, white balls and coloured uniforms sprinkled the green turf.

This was first World Cup to be played in any African country and so on. But the 1991 World Cup did not bring about any reversal in Sri Lanka’s luck.

It finished eighth. 1996 World Cup - Sri Lanka made up for all the humiliation of first round defeats and won!