World Cup 1996: The International Cricket Council (ICC) hosted the sixth Cricket World Cup in 1996, which was sponsored by Wills. Pakistan and India hosted the World Cup for the second time, while Sri Lanka hosted the event for the first time.
Sri Lanka held four matches at three venues, while Pakistan hosted 16 matches at six venues. India hosted 17 matches over 17 distinct locations. All eight Test-playing nations, including Zimbabwe, which attained Test status in 1992, took part in the competition. Through the 1994 ICC Trophy, three Associate teams—the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, and the Netherlands—also earned spots in the 1996 World Cup. There were controversy and spectacular moments during the competition.
In order to look at some iconic moments from the 1996 World Cup, we revisit the competition today.
World Cup 1996:
Controversy broke out even before the World Cup of 1996 began when Australia and the West Indies declined to bring their teams to Sri Lanka for their respective matches. This occurred shortly after the Tamil Tigers’ bombing of Colombo’s Central Bank in January 1996. The ICC decided that Sri Lanka was entitled to both games on forfeit after lengthy negotiations. As a result, Sri Lanka was already guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals before they had even begun play.
The second significant issue occurred at Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the India vs. Sri Lanka semifinal match. When the Eden pitch used to favour spinners and it was difficult to chase under lights, Sri Lanka had asked India to chase 252 runs in Kolkata. Until Sachin Tendulkar arrived, India’s hopes were still alive. But as soon as Jayasuriya stumped him, pandemonium broke out in the stands.
As rioting hampered the fielders close to the boundary, match official Clive Lloyd decided to award Sri Lanka the match after India reached 120/8 in 34.1 overs. For Indian supporters, it was a terrible moment, and the sight of Vinod Kambli sobbing as he returned to the pavilion will live in infamy even now.
West Indies stunned by Kenya in Pune:
In 1996, Kenya made their World Cup debut and pulled off one of the tournament’s biggest upsets. Kenya was given the opportunity to bat first by West Indies, a team that included talents like Richie Richardson, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Curtly Ambrose, and Courtney Walsh. Only 166 runs could be mustered by the African country.
However, what happened next had the fans wiping their eyes. The West Indies’ starting lineup was surprised by Kenyan opening bowlers Rajab Ali and Tony Suji. When Brian Lara entered the game at 22/2, the first ball he faced, he struck a clean cover drive. Tariq Iqbal, the wicketkeeper, successfully caught Lara after Rajab Ali produced an outside-off stump ball with a hint of swing. The finish came quickly as Kenya dismissed West Indies for 93 and humiliated them by 73 runs.
Magical moments with the bat:
The Indian subcontinent, where the 1996 World Cup was held, had batting havens in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. This implied that teams scored a lot of runs. at a match against Kenya at Kandy, Sri Lanka scored 398/5, the highest ODI score at the time.
Sanath Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar, and Mark Waugh were the three hitters who took full advantage of the ideal batting conditions. Jayasuriya scored 221 runs in 6 games at a strike rate of 131.54 to win Player of the Tournament. His innings of 82 against England in the quarterfinal helped Sri Lanka advance to its first World Cup semi-final.
Mark Waugh made history by being the first player to score three centuries in a single World Cup. His highest score was 130 against Kenya, and he totalled 484 runs at an average of 80.66. He also had a tonne of points versus India and New Zealand.
Sachin Tendulkar scored 523 runs in 7 games, including 2 tonnes and 3 fifties, to become the first batsman to surpass 500 runs in a single World Cup. His hits came against Kenya and Sri Lanka. In the meantime, Gary Kirsten scored 188* against the UAE in Rawalpindi to record the best score of the 1996 World Cup.
India vs Pakistan quarterfinal:
India and Pakistan competed against one another in a knockout match for the first time in World Cup history. This match was played in Bangalore as the 1996 tournament’s quarterfinal. Navjot Singh Sidhu led India’s batting effort with 93 runs. Ajay Jadeja, though, was the real star of the Indian inning. He scored 45 runs in just 25 balls, helping India reach 287/8 after 50 overs.
In the 48th over, Jadeja struck three fours and a six to Younis, who then scored 22 runs, in a spectacular death overs duel. Jadeja then hit Younis for a six and a four in the final over before being bowled out.
Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar’s 84 runs in 10 overs helped Pakistan’s chase get off to a fast start. Sohail scored 55 in just 46 balls, showing excellent touch. But he overconfidently engaged Venkatesh Prasad in a verbal duel in the 15th over. Sohail struck Prasad over point for a four and then used his bat and finger to indicate to the bowler that the ensuing ball would likewise go to that location.
Sohail was unfortunate to have his off-stump uprooted because he missed the delivery. During a heated farewell, Venkatesh Prasad gave him a piece of his mind as Pakistan collapsed to 248/9 and lost by 39 runs. This was also Javed Miandad’s final one-day international, marking an end to a renowned cricketer.
Sri Lanka win finals:
Throughout the entirety of the 1996 World Cup, Sri Lanka had both fortune and form on their side. Due to Australia and the West Indies’ refusal to play their games here, they received two walkovers. They automatically advanced to the quarterfinals, when Sanath Jayasuriya’s 44-ball 82 disregarded the 236-run goal. The semi-final matchup with India in Kolkata was then given to them as compensation for the riots, which they would have won anyhow.
In the Lahore final against Australia, they needed to score 241 runs to win. No team had ever prevailed in the World Cup final. In addition, Sri Lanka dropped both of its openers. But the third wicket partnership of Aravinda de Silva and Asanka Gurusinha scored 125 runs. Arjuna Ranatunga scored the go-ahead runs to crown Sri Lanka as World Cup champions, capping off a spectacular run in the competition.
So, this was all about the highlights of World Cup 1996. Also read, Tamim Iqbal on why he got excluded from the World Cup Squad.
