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Our tactics in 1996 caught opponents off guard

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5 years ago

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Duleep Mendis with captain Arjuna Ranatunga  and deputy Aravinda  de Silva. 

by Duleep Mendis 

Today is a special day for every Sri Lankan who knows his/her cricket. It was on this day 25-years-ago we won the Cricket World Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore beating the fancied Australia in the final. Mark Taylor’s side were favourites to win or so everyone thought. 

This day brings back a lot of good memories and pride when I think about the final and how the boys played the whole tournament in 1996. I will not be overstating if I say Sri Lanka changed the way one-day cricket was played with their innovative style and approach.

We came to this tournament with just four wins out of the 20 World Cup games we had played since 1975 and nobody expected us to throw surprises at everyone. 

I had the dual role of being Manager of the Sri Lankan team and Chairman of Selectors. We were responsible for finding a winning combination. I must acknowledge that I had a very knowledgeable set of past cricketers in the selection committee who gave me a lot of assistance in putting together the best combination for the victory in Lahore.  

During that period each member of the committee was so committed to the task that when one started to make a move everyone understood exactly why it was being made. That was the level of knowledge the other selectors had. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to them. 

In 1995 Dav Whatmore and Alex Kountouris were introduced to the national team. I was there as a conduit between the players and these two gentlemen from Australia. Even though Dav was born in Sri Lanka, he had his schooling in Australia and went on to play Test cricket for Australia. Alex was new but we formed the management committee of the team. 

We made our start in 1995 in Pakistan where we beat them. We also had a very successful tournament in Sharjah. Later that year we went to Australia just before the World Cup. Our first game took place in Perth which was marred by ball tampering allegations.  We were later exonerated. Despite the odds, we had a very good tour of Australia. The boys started to believe in themselves. The tactics were laid down in Australia for the forthcoming World Cup.

Our success depended largely on our game plan of being aggressive in the first ten to 15 overs. This went onto change the way ODI cricket was played.  Our strategy took everyone by surprise. When the World Cup was in progress, all the other teams were still getting to know what we were doing. But before they could really know and counter our moves, the tournament was over and we were World  Champions.  

Celebrations went on for so many months. Now, after 25 years of that monumental achievement, so many memories come back. Although we are far away from Sri Lanka we still think of those good times when we had a brilliant team.  

I can still remember that day before the World Cup final in Lahore when everyone was talking about the dew factor. I and Arjuna went out to the ground at night and nobody knew about it, just to see the dew. We saw that there was a lot of dew on the ground and we knew that if we bowled at night we were going to find it difficult defending a total. So it was decided that if we won the toss we would bowl first.

In Arjuna, we had a captain, who was fearless and aggressive. A captain who wasn’t afraid to take decisions. He was well backed up by master tactician Aravinda, who was his deputy. We also had the fortune of having a set of brilliant cricketers around who knew exactly what to do when things were not going well for the team.  

I offer my sincere thanks to the whole team and to the Board at that time which was led by Ana Punchihewa for the wonderful memories that are coming back even after 25 years.  

I know that there will be celebrations today but unfortunately Dav, Alex and I will not be able to come due to the current situation (caused by Covid-19). We feel bad about missing this event but I hope you will have a wonderful time reliving the memories of 1996.


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Colts win First Class title

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1 hour ago

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2026/04/2

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Major Club 3-Day League 2025 - Champions - Colts CC

Colombo Colts Cricket Club finished off the First Class season with flying colours with their unbeaten run enabling them to win the title. Colts played seven games in the Super Eight segment and won one and drew seven games. Ace Capital gave them stiff competition and finished second.

Former Sri Lanka Under-19 cricketer Wanuja Sahan capped off a sensational season as he was Player of the Tournament. Sahan captured 54 wickets in ten games with his left-arm spin and produced 484 runs with the bat.

Major Club 3-Day League 2025 – Most Valuable Player – Wanuja Sahan, Ace Capital

NCC’s Lahiru Udara continued to top run charts amassing 908 runs in ten matches averaging 60 in ten games with one double hundred and three centuries.

Dilum Sudeera of Police was named Best Bowler after finishing wth 61 wickets.

SSC meanwhile having lost First Class status the last season fought their way back to regain top status and their campaign was spearheaded by Nipun Dhananjaya, who was named Best Batsman in Tier ‘B’

Tier ‘B’ 3-Day League 2025-26 – Best Batsman – Nipun Dhananjaya – SSC

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GCC Blue and Kingfisher reach U-15 final

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1 hour ago

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2026/04/2

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GCC Blue 2026 U15 and Kingfisher C A U15 advanced to the final of the Global Cricket Club Under-15 Tournament after winning their semi-final matches in contrasting fashion.

‎In the first semi-final, GCC Blue 2026 U15 recorded a thrilling 2-wicket win over Apex Cricket Academy – Blue 2026 U15.

‎Apex, batting first, made 149 for 9 in 28 overs, with Anuhas Wickramasinghe top-scoring with 72 off 71 balls. Himash Silva starred with the ball for GCC Blue, taking 3 for 13, while Navith de Silva claimed 3 for 37.

‎In reply, GCC Blue reached 150 for eight in 27.2 overs, thanks to Hiruka Edirisooriya’s 46 off 34 balls and an unbeaten 37 off 26 balls by Onath Rodrigo, who was named the Player of the Match.

‎In the second semi-final, Kingfisher C A U15 outplayed Muthuwal Cricket Academy U15 by 70 runs.

‎Kingfisher posted 194 for nine in 28 overs, with Janadeepa Okash scoring 31 and Akash Dissanayake adding 29. For Muthuwal, Radil Anthony picked up three wickets.

‎Muthuwal were then bowled out for 124 in 22.5 overs, despite Sivakumar Navneeth’s fighting 56. Akash Dissanayake produced the best performance of the match with 4 for 8, while Sasindu Dilshara supported well with 3 for 19. Dissanayake was named the Player of the Match.

‎The final of the GCC Under 15 invitational cricket tournament 2026 between GCC Blue and Kingfisher C A promises to be an exciting contest and will be held on 04th April 2026 at Thurstan Cricket Ground commencing at 01.00 pm.

‎Fingara CA to encounter ARS Academy in U-13 Invitational Tournament final

‎Fingara Cricket Academy and ARS Academy advanced to the final of the Global Cricket Club Under-13 Tournament after winning their respective semi-finals.

‎Fingara Cricket Academy defeated GCC Blue 2026 U13 by 31 runs in the first semi-final. Batting first, Fingara made 203 for 6 in 30 overs with Thisanga Thewsara top-scoring with 49, while Kenul Binuka made 40 and Nethma Nilaksha Perera added a quick 35. In reply, GCC Blue were limited to 172 for 7. Nethma Nilaksha Perera starred with the ball as well, taking 3 for 23, and was named the Player of the Match.

‎In the second semi-final, ARS Academy U13 beat NP Cricket Academy U-13 by 6 wickets. NP Cricket Academy were bowled out for 93 in 25 overs, with Lasindu Rathnayake scoring 27. ARS Academy chased down the target, finishing on 97 for 4 in 20.1 overs, thanks to Akash Thilakarathne’s 36. Manula Mihisara was the standout performer with 3 for 16 and won the Player of the Match award.

‎The final will be played on 04th April 2026 at Thurstan Cricket Ground, Bauddhaloka Mw.Colombo 07 at 8am

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Amelia Kerr hits 139-ball 179* as New Zealand pull off record chase to level series

Published

16 hours ago

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2026/04/1

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Amelia Kerr ended with 179 not out off just 139 balls [Cricinfo]

It was the Amelia Kerr show at Basin Reserve on Wednesday as she played the sort of innings that would go into cricket folklore if it were played at a World Cup instead of a bilateral series, to completely hog the limelight in a match with three other knocks of note and a total of 696 runs in 99.4 overs. Amelia scored 179 not out in 139 balls. And as New Zealand crossed South Africa’s 346 with two balls left, it became the highest successful chase  in women’s ODI history.

The result hardly seemed like when New Zealand, faced with a chase of 347, lost Suzie Bates in the fifth over, bowled by Ayabonga Khaka. Amelia settled in fast, but by the midway stage, New Zealand were four down, Kayla Reyneke striking twice and Sune Luus once as Georgia Plimmer, Maddy Green and Brooke Halliday all fell without making a significant contribution.

Amelia finally found the partner she needed in Isabella Gaze, the wicketkeeper-batter at No. 6. Together, the two of them 120 runs in 82 balls, Amelia scoring 47 of those runs in 34 balls to Gaze’s enterprising 68 in 48, studded with 11 fours.

By the time Gaze fell, becoming the first of two wickets in the game for Masabata Klaas, New Zealand had bounced right back and were in with a strong sniff. Amelia, by then on 113 off 97 balls, looked in the mood.

And then, with the lower-order batters for company, Amelia did what she had to: speed up. She scored a-run-a-ball 23 in a 40-run stand with Izzy Sharp, then 25 in 12 balls with her sister Jess, Rosemary Mair came and went, and then Amelia finished the job in the company of debutant Kayley Knight with two balls left. Amelia had reached her century – her fifth in ODIs, which includes a double-century – off 90 balls, and the 79 she scored after that came off just 49 more.

Earlier, South Africa would have felt happy with their performance with the bat after New Zealand had won the toss and asked them to bat, having lost the first game batting first, though not out of choice.

New Zealand struck early, removing Tazmin Brits in the eighth over, but then had to wait till the 28th before they got lucky again. In between, Laura Wolvaardt (69 in 74 balls) and Anneke Bosch (91 in 90) had added 132 runs in 124 balls, and South Africa were clearly on top.

South Africa continued to get strong partnerships with many of their batters settling in and showing form: 44 between Bosch and Luus (40), 34 between Luus and Sinalo Jafta (37), 40 between Jafta and Chloe Tryon (52*), 36 in just 18 balls between Tryon and Nadine de Klerk (18), and 25 in 12 balls for the unbroken seventh wicket between Tryon and Reyneke (9*). All of that added up to a very healthy total despite Bree Illing’s 3 for 60 and Knight’s 2 for 65, and South Africa would have expected the finish the night with the series in the bag, till Amelia decided otherwise.

Brief scores:
New Zealand Women 350 for 8 in 49.4 overs  (Amelia Kerr 179*, Isabella Gaze 68; Ayabonga Khaka 3-51, Kayla Reyneke 2-54, Masabata  Klaas 2-61) beat South Africa Women  346 for 6 (Anneke Bosch 91, Laura Wolvaardt 69, Chloe Tryon 52*, Sune Luus 40; Bree  Illing 3-60, Kaylee Knight 2-65) by two wickets

[Cricinfo]

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