He Brought the Glory to this Island
Arjuna Ranatunga is widely known and respected throughout the cricketing fraternity for leading Sri Lanka to victory in the 1996 World Cup. It was the first time Sri Lanka had ever won the World Cup. Ranatunga was one of the most able captains of his time and was responsible for the popular trend of pinch-hitting in the first 15 overs.
Ranatunga was one of the few captains who inspired his players to win against all odds. He had a remarkable insight into cricket and was responsible for bringing about one of the most famous World Cup exploits to date.
This stockily built left hand batsman led Sri Lanka to their greatest cricketing triumph, the 1996 World Cup. His innovative captaincy took a Sri Lanka team given little chance prior to the competition to cricket's greatest prize. He made his debut in Sri Lanka's inaugural Test at the age of 18, and made his country's first Test half-century. A dominant figure on cricket fields all over the world for nearly 20 years, he never shied from confrontation, defending his players and rights to the hilt.
Despite his relative inability to scamper the quick single which is considered essential in one-day cricket, Ranatunga had an uncanny ability to keep the scoreboard ticking over using deft placement on both sides of the wicket, combined with fluent driving through the offside in particular. He was a deceptive and useful medium pace bowler, although his bowling was seen rarely in the later part of his career. He lost the captaincy following Sri Lanka's poor showing in the 1999 World Cup, and retired from international cricket a year later, but his contribution to Sri Lankan cricket is immeasurable.
Arjuna put Sri Lanka on the World map - Pelham Juriansz (17 August 1999)
