Lanka take inspiration from 1996 WC final win

Updated on: 18 March,2011 07:09 AM IST |
Harit N Joshi | sports@mid-day.com

Ranatunga & co's March 17, 1996 World Cup final win has inspired the Sri Lankans for their clash against the kiwis today

Ranatunga & co's March 17, 1996 World Cup final win has inspired the Sri Lankans for their clash against the kiwis today

Sri Lanka is definitely not short of inspiration going into today's World Cup clash against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium. Yesterday was a historic day in Sri Lankan cricket. It was on March 17 when Arjuna Ranatunga's men won the World Cup in 1996. The victory served as an inspiration for the next generation of cricketers.

Though both teams have qualified for the quarter-finals, they will look to win their last group game before going into the knock-out stage. Team manager Anura Tennekoon reckoned the 15th anniversary of the historic win is a timely booster for the Lankans. "It was an epic win for Sri Lanka cricket. It is one of our fondest victories of all time. We remember it often and even spoke about it before this Kiwi clash. The boys take a lot of inspiration from the 1996 World Cup win. It's a great motivation going into the match," Tennekoon, who was Sri Lanka's first World Cup skipper in the 1975 edition of the tournament, told MiD DAY yesterday.

Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara said the team is keen to emulate Ranatunga & Co. "That ('96) was an inspiration for the whole country. We are very proud of it, but at the same time we have to make our own future. We're trying to do great things for ourselves now," he said.

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