The 1996 World Cup was very special for all of us Sri Lankans, especially those who featured in it. It was great that I could play the way I did in the semifinal against India in Kolkata and then in the final against Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. I made an impact both with the bat and the ball. That century (107) and three wickets (3-42) proved crucial as we beat Australia by seven wickets.
Even though people may think that anger propelled me to play the way I did, especially after Australia refused to play in Sri Lanka due to security reasons. However, that wasn’t the case. There was no anger, just the motivation to win the Cup for all the people back home.
In a situation like that, in a Cup final, one has to keep one’s head about. We had to counter-attack, considering the situation we were in. That’s the way we played from the beginning of the tournament. It changed the way One-Day Internationals are played.
Everyone’s looking forward to this World Cup more so because it’s very evenly poised. Almost all top teams have the chance to lift the trophy. I don’t see anyone in particular as the real favourites. It will depend on the day and how the teams handle pressure. There’ll be pressure on all teams and not just the hosts India and Sri Lanka. What that means is that there’s opportunity for minnows to cause a few upsets, for they are the ones with nothing to lose and can go all out.
From Sri Lanka’s point of view, a lot will depend on Kumara Sangakkara. He is the captain, the wicketkeeper and one of the main batsmen of the team, the team revolves around him. Apart from him, there are Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan, two very accomplished batsmen in the line-up. The three of them have to click almost every game for Sri Lanka to do well.
Our batting is pretty set and in the bowling too, I think we are well-balanced and have a lot of variety. We have Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando and Nuwan Kulasekara. One can never discount the greatness of Muttiah Muralitharan. He is still as motivated and rearing to go. And of course there’s Ajantha Mendis. It’s an interesting mix.
There’s a lot of talk about how Mendis has been figured out by all teams and there’s no mystery element left to him, which was his main weapon. But, I think he is still as capable of winning matches as before. Over time, it is but obvious that teams will understand your style better and read you better. But that doesn’t mean his talent is on the vain.
It was a very difficult decision and a very emotional moment for me when it was decided that Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas have to be left out from the World Cup squad. They’ve been my teammates for such a long and they are such fabulous players with great records to back. But at the end of the day, as a selector, I have to do the right thing. I have to pick fifteen of the best available players on current form. Taking that into account, I don’t think it would have been possible to include them.
All in all, I think we have a good team going into the World Cup. A lot of people are trying to draw parallels between this team and the one that won the tournament in 1996. I don’t really see any similarity, both teams are different and both have their own strengths and weakness. I think the batting was much stronger in 1996 but this time around we have a much better bowling attack. There’s a lot of variety as well as experience. We have a lot of match-winners in the attack. But at the end of the day, it’s a team effort and the whole team has to click.
I have been asked that there is a possibility of me becoming the first man to win the World Cup as a player and as a selector. Of course, that will be wonderful. But, even Krishnamachari Srikkanth has that chance.
Aravinda de Silva is Sri Lanka's Chief Selector and was instrumental when Sri Lanka won their maiden World Cup in 1996 where he scored a brilliant century in the finals.
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