Captains who led underdog teams to ICC World Cup glory

3. Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka) - 1996 World Cup

Sri Lanka were the co-host of the 1996 World Cup with India and Pakistan and before the tournament began, West Indies and Australia refused to travel to the island nation. They forfeited their games, effectively sending Sri Lanka into the quarter-finals without playing a game. 

Arjuna Ranatunga led the Sri Lankan team which was a mix of experience and youth. They had waded through controversies over Muralitharan’s action and were cash-strapped for most of the tournament. Sri Lanka were not considered worthy enough to win with top teams like Australia and West Indies leading that chart. 

But Sri Lanka didn’t lose in their group, defeating Zimbabwe, India, and Kenya, with walkovers from Australia and the West Indies. Then Sanath Jayasuriya hammered the England bowlers in the quarterfinals with 82 runs in 44 balls. Arjuna Ranatunga and his men were awarded the semi-final against India in Kolkata due to crowd rioting.

Consequently, they met Australia in the final and chose to chase despite knowing no team had won chasing in the final. Set 242 to win and losing both mercurial openers early, Aravinda de Silva played a dream knock and along with Asanka Gurusinha and Arjuna Ranatunga, took Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in Lahore.   

Also Check: Most Runs in ODI World Cup 2023