5 instances when underdogs stunned the world in ICC tournaments

Arjuna Ranatunga (right) with England captain Alec Stewart

#3 Sri Lanka – Cricket World Cup, India in 1996

After a dismal tour of Australia, the Sri Lankan team looked down and out before their 1996 World Cup campaign.

India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were joint hosts of the penultimate cricket World Cup scheduled in that millennium. However, Sri Lanka got a direct entry to the quarterfinals much before playing a single match.

Australia and West Indies refused to send their players to the island nation following a terrorist attack in Colombo. As a result, Australia and West Indies forfeited their respective matches and the points were awarded to Sri Lanka.

In their very first match against Zimbabwe, the Lankans came out as a formidable unit and chased Zimbabwe’s target of 230 runs in just 37 overs. In their 2nd match, they mauled India with some ferocious pinch hitting by their 2 openers. Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana gave the team an explosive start and their middle order finished the run-chase with 10 balls to spare.

In their next match against Kenya, they posted 398 runs, then a world record for the highest single innings total. Again the 2 Lankan openers gave an explosive start and by now the Lankan strategy seemed loud and clear - play lofted shots and accelerate the run rate during the first 15 overs of the field restrictions.

Finishing as table toppers with 10 points, they took on England in the quarterfinals and chased their target of 235 runs in just 40.4 overs. But what happened in the semi-final will be forever etched in the hearts of Indian cricket fans.

The disastrous Indian batting collapse while chasing Sri Lanka’s 251, the unruly behavior of the crowd at Eden Gardens, and the teary-eyed Vinod Kambli running off the field once the match was awarded to Sri Lanka - those were some of the most heart-wrenching moments of the 1996 World Cup.

In the final against Australia, the Lankans continued their form and chased Australia’s score of 241 runs in the 47th over. Aravinda de Silva’s fine 107 with the bat and 3 wickets for 42 runs with the ball earned the ‘Man of the Match’ award, while Sanath Jayasuriya with a tournament strike rate of 131.54 grabbed the ‘Man of the Series’ recognition.