The fortune of team Sri Lanka was limited, as it seemed, when Australia, having lost the toss, were obliged to field and bowl in a foggy day, turning to oblivion of the fact that all the five previous finals were not won by chasing teams. Limiting Australia at 241 for 7, although they were 137 for 1 in the 27th over, the Lankans tottering at 23 for 2 won the match with 7 wickets with 22 balls to spare.
The 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup was a witness to a huge margin in limited-overs cricket. It also featured three brand new teams, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Kenya - the best team among the three who defeated the West Indies in a league game putting a period to their batsmen to a mere 93 runs, chasing for 166.
For the first time cricket lovers around the world saw the organization taking a leap forward, World Cup being hosted by three countries. Also for the first time, a host team taking glory of the champions crown. And, of course, unlike past Cricket World Cups, this one was dominated entirely by the batsmen, revolutionizing the one-day approach to the game by taking the attack within the first 15 overs. Arvinda De Silva (107 not out) became the third batsman, following Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards, to score a century in a World Cup Final.
Venue : India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka
Date : 16 February 1996 to 17 March 1996
Teams Played:
Group A: Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, India, Kenya, Zimbabwe.
Group B: Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, England, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates.
Winner: Sri Lanka (Beated Australia By 7 Wickets).
Man of The Match: Aravinda da Silva - Scored 107 runs.
Summary :-
Group B: England v New Zealand - February 14, 1996 at Ahmedabad New Zealand won by 11 runs.
New Zealand 239-6 (50 ov); England 228-9 (50 ov).
Group A: West Indies v Zimbabwe - February 16, 1996 at Hyderabad
West Indies won by 6 wickets.
Zimbabwe 151-9 (50 ov); West Indies 155-4 (29.3 ov).
Group B: South Africa v United Arab Emirates - February 16, 1996 at Rawalpindi
South Africa won by 169 runs.
South Africa 321-2 (50 ov); United Arab Emirates 152-8 (50 ov).
Group A: Sri Lanka v Australia - February 17, 1996 at Colombo
Sri Lanka won by a walkover.
Group B: Netherlands v New Zealand - February 17, 1996 at Vadodara
New Zealand won by 119 runs.
New Zealand 307-8 (50 ov); Netherlands 188-7 (50 ov).
Group A: India v Kenya - February 18, 1996 at Cuttack
India won by 7 wickets.
Kenya 199-6 (50 ov); India 203-3 (41.5 ov).
Group B: England v United Arab Emirates - February 18, 1996 at Peshawar
England won by 8 wickets.
United Arab Emirates 136 (48.3 ov); England 140-2 (35 ov).
Group B: New Zealand v South Africa - February 20, 1996 at Faisalabad
South Africa won by 5 wickets.
New Zealand 177-9 (50 ov); South Africa 178-5 (37.3 ov).
Group A: India v West Indies - February 21, 1996 at Gwalior
India won by 5 wickets.
West Indies 173 (50 ov); India 174-5 (39.4 ov).
Group A: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe - February 21, 1996 at Colombo
Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets.
Zimbabwe 228-6 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 229-4 (37 ov).
Group B: England v Netherlands - February 22, 1996 at Peshawar
England won by 49 runs.
England 279-4 (50 ov); Netherlands 230-6 (50 ov).
Group A: Australia v Kenya - February 23, 1996 at Visakhapatnam
Australia won by 97 runs.
Australia 304-7 (50 ov); Kenya 207-7 (50 ov).
Group B: Pakistan v United Arab Emirates - February 24, 1996 at Gujranwala
Pakistan won by 9 wickets.
United Arab Emirates 109-9 (33 ov); Pakistan 112-1 (18 ov).
Group A: Sri Lanka v West Indies - February 25, 1996 at Colombo
Sri Lanka won by a walkover.
Group B: England v South Africa - February 25, 1996 at Rawalpindi
South Africa won by 78 runs.
South Africa 230 (50 ov); England 152 (44.3 ov).
Group A (replayed): Kenya v Zimbabwe - February 26, 1996 at Patna
No result. Zimbabwe 45-3 (15.5 ov).
Group B: Pakistan v Netherlands - February 26, 1996 at Lahore
Pakistan won by 8 wickets.
Netherlands 145-7 (50 ov); Pakistan 151-2 (30.4 ov).
Group A: India v Australia - February 27, 1996 at Mumbai
Australia won by 16 runs.
Australia 258 (50 ov); India 242 (48 ov).
Group A: Kenya v Zimbabwe - February 27, 1996 at Patna
Zimbabwe won by 5 wickets.
Kenya 134 (49.4 ov); Zimbabwe 137-5 (42.2 ov).
Group B: New Zealand v United Arab Emirates - February 27, 1996 at Faisalabad
New Zealand won by 109 runs.
New Zealand 276-8 (47 ov); United Arab Emirates 167-9 (47 ov).
Group A: Kenya v West Indies - February 29, 1996 at Poona
Kenya won by 73 runs.
Kenya 166 (49.3 ov); West Indies 93 (35.2 ov).
Group B: Pakistan v South Africa - February 29, 1996 at Karachi
South Africa won by 5 wickets.
Pakistan 242-6 (50 ov); South Africa 243-5 (44.2 ov).
Group A: Australia v Zimbabwe - March 1, 1996 at Nagpur
Australia won by 8 wickets.
Zimbabwe 154 (45.3 ov); Australia 158-2 (36 ov).
Group B: Netherlands v United Arab Emirates - March 1, 1996 at Lahore
United Arab Emirates won by 7 wickets.
Netherlands 216-9 (50 ov); United Arab Emirates 220-3 (44.2 ov).
Group A: India v Sri Lanka - March 2, 1996 at Delhi
Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets.
India 271-3 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 272-4 (48.4 ov).
Group B: Pakistan v England - March 3, 1996 at Karachi
Pakistan won by 7 wickets.
England 249-9 (50 ov); Pakistan 250-3 (47.4 ov).
Group A: Australia v West Indies - March 4, 1996 at Jaipur
West Indies won by 4 wickets.
Australia 229-6 (50 ov); West Indies 232-6 (48.5 ov).
Group B: Netherlands v South Africa - March 5, 1996 at Rawalpindi
South Africa won by 160 runs.
South Africa 328-3 (50 ov); Netherlands 168-8 (50 ov).
Group A: India v Zimbabwe - March 6, 1996 at Kanpur
India won by 40 runs.
India 247-5 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 207 (49.4 ov).
Group A: Sri Lanka v Kenya - March 6, 1996 at Kandy
Sri Lanka won by 144 runs.
Sri Lanka 398-5 (50 ov); Kenya 254-7 (50 ov).
Group B: Pakistan v New Zealand - March 6, 1996 at Lahore
Pakistan won by 46 runs.
Pakistan 281-5 (50 ov); New Zealand 235 (47.3 ov).
Quarter-Final: England v Sri Lanka - March 9, 1996 at Faisalabad
Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets.
England 235-8 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 236-5 (40.4 ov).
Quarter-Final: India v Pakistan - March 9, 1996 at Bangalore
India won by 39 runs.
India 287-8 (50 ov); Pakistan 248-9 (49 ov).
Quarter-Final: Australia v New Zealand - March 11, 1996 at Chennai
Australia won by 6 wickets.
New Zealand 286-9 (50 ov); Australia 289-4 (47.5 ov).
Quarter-Final: South Africa v West Indies - March 11, 1996 at Karachi
West Indies won by 19 runs.
West Indies 264-8 (50 ov); South Africa 245 (49.3 ov).
Semi-Final: India v Sri Lanka - March 13, 1996 at Calcutta (Kolkata)
Sri Lanka won (match conceded).
Sri Lanka 251-8 (50 ov); India 120-8 (34.1 ov).
Semi-Final: Australia v West Indies - March 14, 1996 at Mohali
Australia won by 5 runs.
Australia 207-8 (50 ov); West Indies 202 (49.3 ov).
Final: Australia v Sri Lanka - March 17, 1996 at Lahore
Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets.
Australia 241-7 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 245-3 (46.2 ov).
