The medals presented by the ICC to Sri Lankan players upon their victory at the 1996 Cricket World Cup victory which were kept with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) were presented to the individual players at a function held at Temple Trees yesterday, to mark the 25th anniversary of that victory in Lahore, Pakistan. Here Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa presenting the medal to 1996 World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga.
The present Sri Lankan team players should learn a lesson from the magnificent victory of 1996 and rely on team work, sportsmanship and a touch of humanity to get back to a winning streak, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday.
Prime Minister Rajapaksa was addressing a special event held at Temple Trees to mark the 1996 Cricket World Cup victory, with the participation of then Captain Arjuna Ranatunga and other players.
The Prime Minister said: “The Sri Lankan team won the World Cup at a time when the country was plagued by terrorism. Some of the countries were reluctant to come to Sri Lanka, a co-host of the tournament, due to security issues. During that period Ports and airports were identified as being unsafe for tourists.”
The Prime Minister recalled that however the South Asian countries extended their solidarity to Sri Lanka and toured Sri Lanka to stage an exhibition match. The 1996 World Cup Final was held in Pakistan with immense support given by people from other cricket loving Asian nations to our cricket team paving the way for its victory.
The then Sri Lankan Cricket Captain Arjuna Ranatunga strove hard and stood behind our world class bowler Muttiah Muralitharan when some other countries attempted to ban him from playing. The same bold decisions later helped Muralitharan become a legend in Cricket. He added that the World Cup final victory was a collective effort of all who held patriotism in high esteem.