The sight of angry Indian fans throwing bottles on Sri Lankan players during the 1996 World Cup semi-final at Kolkata is still fresh in the memory of cricketer lovers here
The sight of angry Indian fans throwing bottles on Sri Lankan players during the 1996 World Cup semi-final at Kolkata is still fresh in the memory of cricketer lovers here.
They realise the pressure a home team undergoes during such a massive tournament. This Saturday, Sri Lanka will square off against England in the last of the four quarter-finals, and the fans are ready to behave themselves. "People in Sri Lanka are just as passionate about the game, but I expect them to react fairly if the team loses to England. I understand what the Kolkata fans underwent on that day, but everyone should realise that it is just a sport. One team has to win, and another has to lose," Sri Lanka's World Cup winning skipper, Arjuna Ranatunga told MiD DAY.
Sri Lanka won that game at Eden Gardens in front of a crowd unofficially estimated at 110,000. Chasing 251 for 8, India had slumped to 120 for 8 in the 35th over when sections of crowd began to throw bottles on the field.
The players left the field for 20 minutes in an attempt to bring some sanity to the situation.
When the players returned, more bottles were thrown, and fires were lit in the stand. Match referee Clive Lloyd awarded the match to Sri Lanka, the first default ever in a Test or ODI.
