Former India all-rounder Robin Singh identified all of them, but can you?
On Sunday, Robin shared a post on X that has got fans quite intrigued. “Someone asked today “ how many of them can you identify” … well I played with all of them !! What wonderful memories,” Robin wrote.
Robin also shared a pic along with that, in which there are Sri Lankan cricketers. Most of them were part of the team that won the 50-overs World Cup in the sub-continent in 1996. Here is the post. Try your luck too, and let us know on FB and X how successful you have been.
It’s gonna take some time before one is able to recognise the captain of that team, Arjuna Ranatunga. Back in the day, he was a bit on the heavy side, actually quite, but at 62 years of age now, he looks very slimmed down. In all black, he is traditionally attired.
So, from left to right at the front are: Marvan Atapattu, Roshan Mahanama, Aravinda de Silva, Ranatunga, Hashan Tillakaratne and Sanath Jayasuriya.
In the row just behind, again from left to right, are Romesh Kaluwitharana, Asanka Gurusinha, Upul Chandana, Ravindra Pushpakumara. Right at the back, there is Chaminda Vaas. However, there is one gentleman whom we can’t recognise. He is standing between Chandana and Pushpakumara. Let us know if you do.
What an extraordinary bunch!
Anyway, some of the most fiercest cricketers of all time are in the frame. Openers Gurusinha and Jayasuriya were the first to take advantage of fielding restrictions in the first few overs. It’s safe to say they are the pioneers of modern-day power-hitting. However, in the 1996 World Cup, Gurusinha batted at No.3 with Kaluwitharana and Jayasuriya taking the bowlers to the cleaners for the large part of the event.
Aravinda was another very gutsy cricketer. He was Man of the Match in both the semifinal against India in Kolkata and the final against Australia in Lahore, with a fifty and an unbeaten century, respectively.
Tillakaratne was a solid batsman lower down the order and could also bowl useful spin. Mahanama was a legendary middle-order batsman.
That was indeed a solid bunch. There was not a single game that they lost in the tournament. However, Australia and the West Indies had forfeited their games in Sri Lanka. They refused to travel, citing security concerns.
Sri Lanka haven’t won another 50-overs World Cup since. In March earlier this year, they celebrated the 30th anniversary of that triumph. This picture is a great reminder of the mighty days of Sri Lankan cricket.
