Batting on a different wicket
View(s):By Shaveen Jeewandara
Mostly clad in black t-shirts and wreathed in smiles, Sri Lanka’s World Cup ’96 cricket champs stride into the Kingsbury hotel – handshakes all around. A few hours ago though, they were sweating it out on the field, re-living the glory of ‘March 17, 1996’. The NCC grounds became a mini ‘Gadaffi’ stadium on January 12 as the boys in blue took on the ones in yellow.
‘We are the Champions’: Some members of the 96 World Cup winning team. Pix by Ranjith Perera
This time around, Arjuna and the boys had a different objective in mind – raising funds for the ‘Baby Cheramy Big Heart’ project, and that they did in style. The 1996 World Cup team led by Arjuna Ranatunga proved that they are still wily chasers by easily overtaking the target of 130 set by Sidath Wettimuny’s Sri Lanka Legends XI, cheered on by the massive crowd that had come to witness this rare reunion.
At the Kingsbury soon after, the cricketers geared up for an auction of signed memorabilia – in aid of the ‘Big Heart’ project. “This has been an absolutely fantastic journey,” said Roshan Mahanama, Project Ambassador, “It’s true that it took us 17 years to re-group for a good cause, but I’m fully aware that all the cricketers have been providing their fullest support to social service projects all around the country in every little way possible.”
Captain Cool said it was a surreal moment to command his troops 17 years later – “The tactics were the same, the spirit was the same, and chasing is what we do best,” he smiled. Asked about the fateful catch that slipped through Shane Warne’s fingers at the final all those years ago, the grey-haired hero shrugs and tell us that it was the country’s luck and not just his own. “Come whatever, we had our sights on that cup in Lahore,” vice captain and Man of the Match for his epic century in the final, Aravinda de Silva chips in.
The unforgettable scenes of that star-studded night are projected on the walls, and a new sense of pride surfaces each time Aravinda is shown glancing the ball away and raising his bat to the skies. “The secret of success was the amount of dedication that we put in, and self-belief right before the finals,” he tells us.
Cricketers from the Legends team were also present and former Sri Lankan opening bat Sidath Wettimuny, who displayed some breath-taking off-drives earlier in the day remarked that every little one needs to know about our heroes. “I believe that understanding the game’s past can help us attain better results. Aspiring youngsters need to know about the players who toiled hard to take Sri Lanka Cricket to where it is today.” Asked about the shorter format of the game, Mr. Wettimuny quotes the West Indian great, Clive Lloyd – “Twenty20 is an exhibition, Test cricket is an examination”.
A bat signed by Arjuna Ranatunga was auctioned for Rs. 410,000, while one signed by Master Blaster Sanath Jayasuriya fetched Rs.300,000. The crown jewel, the bat signed by the whole ’96 team went for a whopping Rs.1,250,000.
 The bat that fetched Rs.1,250,000. |
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