"1996 World Cup win changed the image of Sri Lankan cricket": Muttiah Muralitharan

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 27 (ANI): Legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan reflected back on Sri Lanka's first World Cup triumph in 1996 at the event held in Mumbai to announce the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup schedule.
Muralitharan said that the 1996 World Cup has given everything to him and other cricketers, as it changed the image of Sri Lankan cricket.
"For Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup, it had given everything to everyone. We were a small country, and people did not respect us to even win the qualifier, but that win changed the image of Sri Lankan cricket," he said at the event.
The Sri Lankan legend also said the World Cup is a tough competition as England who invented the game won their first title in 2019.
"For me, the world cup is everything because there you are representing your nation, and you want to win that won. It takes decades to win the Cup, England won in 2019 whose who invented the game? A lot of luck you need. You can be the best win but in knock-out matches, you can be outplayed next team," Muralitharan added.
The World Cup 2023 is set to kick off on October 5 with a repeat of the 2019 Final as England takes on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Host India begin their campaign on October 8 against five-time World Cup winners Australia in Chennai. A total of 10 teams will participate in the showcase event, the first eight having already qualified through the Cricket World Cup Super League. The final two spots will be determined at the end of the Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe, which concludes on July 9. Each team plays the other nine teams in a round-robin format with the top four qualifying for the knockout stage and semi-finals. (ANI)