The fortune of team Sri Lanka was limited, as it seemed, when Australia, having lost the toss, were obliged to field and bowl in a foggy day, turning to oblivion of the fact that all the five previous finals were not won by chasing teams. Limiting Australia at 241 for 7, although they were 137 for 1 in the 27th over, the Lankans tottering at 23 for 2 won the match with 7 wickets with 22 balls to spare.

The 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup was a witness to a huge margin in limited-overs cricket. It also featured three brand new teams, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Kenya - the best team among the three who defeated the West Indies in a league game putting a period to their batsmen to a mere 93 runs, chasing for 166.

For the first time cricket lovers around the world saw the organization taking a leap forward, World Cup being hosted by three countries. Also for the first time, a host team taking glory of the champions crown. And, of course, unlike past Cricket World Cups, this one was dominated entirely by the batsmen, revolutionizing the one-day approach to the game by taking the attack within the first 15 overs. Arvinda De Silva (107 not out) became the third batsman, following Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards, to score a century in a World Cup Final.

It's ironic - Australia (also West Indies) refused to play Sri Lanka in the preliminary stages because of the terrorist Central Bank Bombing in the island, awarding the host with 2 points each and affectively qualifying them for the quarter-finals without playing a single game, now faced them with the World Cup at stake.

Started On: February 14, 1996.

Ended On: March 17, 1996.

Host: India/ Pakistan/ Sri Lanka.

Winner: Sri Lanka (Beated Australia By 7 Wickets).

Teams Played:

Group A: Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, India, Kenya, Zimbabwe.
Group B: Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, England, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates.

Match Summary:

Group B: New Zealand beated England by 11 runs.
(Ahmedabad - February 14, 1996).

Group A: West Indies beated Zimbabwe by 6 wickets.
(Hyderabad - February 16, 1996).

Group B: South Africa beated United Arab Emirates by 169 runs.
(Rawalpindi - February 16, 1996).

Group A: Sri Lanka beated Australia by a walkover.
(Colombo - February 17, 1996).

Group B: New Zealand beated Netherlands by 119 runs.
(Vadodara - February 17, 1996).

Group A: India beated Kenya by 7 wickets.
(Cuttack - February 18, 1996).

Group B: England beated United Arab Emirates by 8 wickets.
(Peshawar - February 18, 1996).

Group B: South Africa beated New Zealand by 5 wickets.
(Faisalabad - February 20, 1996).

Group A: India beated West Indies by 5 wickets.
(Gwalior - February 21, 1996).

Group A: Sri Lanka beated Zimbabwe by 6 wickets.
(Colombo - February 21, 1996).

Group B: England beated Netherlands by 49 runs.
(Peshawar - February 22, 1996).

Group A: Australia beated Kenya by 97 runs.
(Visakhapatnam - February 23, 1996).

Group B: Pakistan beated United Arab Emirates by 9 wickets.
(Gujranwala - February 24, 1996).

Group A: Sri Lanka beated West Indies by a walkover.
(Colombo - February 25, 1996).

Group B: South Africa beated England by 78 runs.
(Rawalpindi - February 25, 1996).

Group A
(replayed): Kenya vs Zimbabwe - No Result
(Patna - February 26, 1996) Group B: Pakistan beated Netherlands by 8 wickets.
(Lahore - February 26, 1996).

Group A: Australia beated India by 16 runs.
(Mumbai - February 27, 1996).

Group A: Zimbabwe beated Kenya by wickets.
(Patna - February 27, 1996).

Group B: New Zealand beated United Arab Emirates by 109 runs.
(Faisalabad - February 27, 1996).

Group A: Kenya beated West Indies by 73 runs.
(Poona - February 29, 1996).

Group B: South Africa beated Pakistan by 5 wickets.
(Karachi - February 29, 1996).

Group A: Australia beated Zimbabwe by 8 wickets.
(Nagpur - March 1, 1996).

Group B: United Arab Emirates beated Netherlands by 7 wickets.
(Lahore - March 1, 1996).

Group A: Sri Lanka beated India by 6 wickets.
(Delhi - March 2, 1996).

Group B: Pakistan beated England by 7 wickets.
(Karachi - March 3, 1996).

Group A: West Indies beated Australia by 4 wickets.
(Jaipur - March 4, 1996).

Group B: South Africa beated Netherlands by 160 runs.
(Rawalpindi - March 5, 1996).

Group A: India beated Zimbabwe by 40 runs.
(Kanpur - March 6, 1996).

Group A: Sri Lanka beated Kenya by 144 runs.
(Kandy - March 6, 1996).

Group B: Pakistan beated New Zealand by 46 runs.
(Lahore - March 6, 1996) Quarter-Final: Sri Lanka beated England by 5 wickets.
(Faisalabad - March 9, 1996).

Quarter-Final: India beated Pakistan by 39 runs.
(Bangalore - March 9, 1996).

Quarter-Final: Australia beated New Zealand by 6 wickets.
(Chennai - March 11, 1996).

Quarter-Final: West Indies beated South Africa by 19 runs.
(Karachi - March 11, 1996).

Semi-Final: Sri Lanka beated India.
(Calcutta
(Kolkata) - March 13, 1996).

Semi-Final: Australia beated West Indies by 5 runs.
(Mohali - March 14, 1996).

Final: Sri Lanka beated Australia by 7 wickets (Lahore - March 17, 1996).

Man of The Match: Aravinda da Silva - Scored 107 runs.

Man of The Series: Sanath Jayasurya - Strike Rate 1.32 per ball faced.