The Sri Lankans, coached by Dav Whatmore and captained by Arjuna Ranatunga, used Player of the Tournament Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana as opening batsmen to take advantage of the fielding restrictions during the first 15 overs of each innings. At a time when 50 or 60 runs in the first 15 overs was considered adequate, Sri Lanka scored 117 runs in those overs against India, 123 against Kenya, 121 against England in the quarter-final and 86 against India in the semi-final. Against Kenya, Sri Lanka made 398 for 5, a new record for the highest team score in a one-day international that stood until April 2006.
Sri Lanka now hold the highest scores in all three forms of international cricket, adding the Twenty20 peak to their Test and one-day records.
"England were defeated not only by Sri Lanka. They were beaten by a plan of attack beyond their imaginations, and never dreamt about in their own "play-the-percentages" philosophy. As Mike Atherton conceded afterwards, Sri Lanka have suddenly be- come the foremost exponents of a new approach to one-day cricket, one which turns the conventional English version on its head. Their batsmen opt for vertical take-off in the first 15 overs, not the last 15, and only then do they throttle back. It seems to be a spectacular way to fly."
The Destructive Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka has taken apart the bowling of Andre Adams of NZ on every ocassion he has faced him.
Comments