Just 66 Runs Added But De Silva Completed A Pure Masterclass.

Garfield Robinson looks back to the 1996 World Cup semi-final when a truly magical innings by Aravinda de Silva in Kolkata helped steer Sri Lanka to an unlikely victory.

Sri Lanka first made the cricketing world sit up and take notice by its tactics in One Day Internationals (ODIs) during its 1995-96 tour of Australia.

Openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana astounded the cricketing world with regular and staggering front-innings blitzkriegs. Taking full advantage of the fielding restrictions in the first 15 overs, the Sri Lankan swashbucklers, every game, launched stunning air-attacks, hitting over the infield and running up previously unheard-of scores after the 15-over period.

Sri Lanka carried their enterprising approach into the 1996 World Cup where they were co-hosts alongside India and Pakistan. Anything around 60 or so after 15 overs was considered a good score at that time. But that convention was turned on its head as Sri Lanka sometimes ran up scores of well over a hundred.

They were not the first to try this approach. In the 1992 World Cup, held in New Zealand and Australia, New Zealand opener Mark Greatbatch had some success hitting over the top in the early overs. His tactics were novel and eye-opening, and would likely have planted a seed, one which evidently germinated in the minds of the Sri Lankan strategists.

Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana turned Greatbach’s approach into an art form. They never wavered from this policy, and so became the terror of all opening bowlers in the competition. Against India in Delhi they raced to 42 off the first three overs; against England, in the first quarter-final game, Jayasuriya made 82 off just 44 deliveries, an unheard-of rate of scoring in that pre T20 era.