Sri Lanka National Cricket Team

During the early years of the Cricket World Cup, the Sri Lankan cricket team was virtually an anonymous presence at the tournament. However, all this changed in the 1990s when the Sri Lankans practically revolutionised the way One Day International cricket is played, and won the 1996 edition of the tournament as a result.

Captain: Mahela Jayawardene
Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Best Cricket World Cup Performance: Winners (1996)

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World Cup - World Cup Winner -
India	10/3	10/3	10/3	10/3	3	7/2	10/3	10/3	10/3	3
England	5	5	5	11/2	5	5	5	5	5	9/2
Australia	9/2	9/2	11/2	5	11/2	9/2	9/2	11/2	5	11/2
South Africa	11/2	11/2	5	5	11/2	11/2	11/2	5	11/2	5
Sri Lanka	5	5	9/2	9/2	9/2	5	5	9/2	5	5
Pakistan	15/2	9	15/2	11	8	8	9	8	9	9
New Zealand	12	18	20	17	16	14	18	18	14	14
West Indies	17	16	16	19	20	16	16	22	16	20
Bangladesh	33	40	33	43	40	50	40	40	50	50
Zimbabwe	175	150	250	259	200	150	150	150	200	300
Ireland	499	500	500	379	500	500	500	500	500	750
Kenya	999	-	-	639	1000	-	-	1000	1000	750
Canada	-	-	-	639	1000	-	-	2000	1000	1000
Netherlands	999	-	-	639	1000	-	-	2000	1000	1000

2011 Cricket World Cup

Sri Lanka - Cricket World Cup Sri Lankan cricket appears to be in good shape for the 2011 Cricket World Cup, as the national team looks set to capitalise on the gains achieved at the 2007 tournament. Whilst a new generation of Sri Lankan players will be tasked with winning Sri Lanka’s second World Cup title, the team will benefit from home crowd support as well as the ideal conditions for their potent spin bowling contingent.

Cricket World Cup History

Sri Lanka entered the first Cricket World Cup in 1975 with a reputation akin to the one Bangladesh enjoys at present – a team capable of little more than the odd upset or a moment of individual brilliance. The Sri Lankans did little to dispel this perception in the first four Cricket World Cups they participated in, by exiting each of these in the 1st round.

All this was to change during the 1990s, as Sri Lankan cricket started showing signs of maturing, which began with a better World Cup performance in 1992 when the team finished in 8th place. Whilst this performance wasn’t very impressive in itself, it did lay the foundation for the country’s greatest moment in cricket four years later.

When Sri Lanka entered the 1996 Cricket World Cup in Asia, few people expected them to turn the pecking order of international cricket on its head. Most notably, the Sri Lankans became the first team to target fielding restrictions during the first 15 overs, with opening batsmen Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana blasting Sri Lanka to scores in excess of a hundred during this period in several matches.

Sri Lanka qualified for the final of the tournament with relative ease, and famously put opponents Australia in to bat despite the fact that the side batting 1st had won all the previous tournaments. The Sri Lankans restricted Australia to a score of 241/7, before chasing down the Australian total with the assistance of 5 dropped catches.

Sri Lanka failed to defend their title at the 1999 Cricket World Cup, but was back in form for the 2003 edition of the tournament. This time they reached the semifinals before being eliminated by Australia in a replay of the 1996 final. In 2007 the Sri Lankans, bolstered up by the presence of unorthodox fast bowler Lasith Malinga, once again reached a final against Australia, before losing to the Australians in near-darkness in a rain-interrupted match.