Sri Lanka won their first-ever T20 World Cup in 2014, following their victory in the ODI World Cup in 1996.
On April 6, after defeating India by six wickets in the championship match at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, Sri Lanka emerged victorious in the 2014 Twenty20 World Cup. Sri Lanka made it to the final of both the ODI and T20 World Cups thrice apiece in 2007 and 2012. They did, however, place second in each of the four games.
Sri Lanka, who competed in the T20 World Cups in 2009 and 2012, was grouped with South Africa, New Zealand, England, and the Netherlands in Group 1. The team captained by Lasith Malinga got off to an exciting five-run victory over South Africa at Chattogram. The Lankan Lions defeated the Netherlands for 39 runs in their subsequent match before needing five overs to chase down the pathetic score.
After Alex Hales’ outstanding century helped the Three Lions chase down a 190-run mark, Sri Lanka suffered their lone defeat of the campaign against England. The Kiwis and Sri Lanka met in their most recent league game. Though Rangana Herath’s outstanding bowling display calmed the Sri Lankan supporters after they were knocked out for 119 in the crucial match,
In the semifinals, Sri Lanka took on the reigning champion West Indies in Dhaka, a rematch of the 2012 championship match. Malinga’s team managed to score 160/6 in their 20 overs during a rain-affected match. Rain eventually halted play, with the West Indies at 80/4 in 13.5 overs; ultimately, the Asian side prevailed by 27 runs (using the DLS technique).
The crucial conclusion
The Lankan Lions had the opportunity to get revenge on the Men in Blue, who had upset them in the championship match of the 2011 ODI World Cup, in the 2014 T20 World Cup final match against India. After winning the toss, Sri Lanka decided to field first on a sticky wicket.
After Ajinkya Rahane was out of the game in the second over, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli put together a calm 60 runs off of 54 balls. After Rohit was bowled for a 29 from 26 balls, Yuvraj Singh entered the batting at No. 4. The southpaw produced an unusually rough 11-run knock off 21 balls, struggling to hit the gaps. At the other end, Kohli appeared to be batting on distinct surfaces as he was hitting all of his hits. Following Yuvraj’s outing in the 19th over, MS Dhoni faced seven balls and managed just four runs. India finished at 130/4 after Kohli played a superb innings of 77 off 58 balls before being run out on the final ball.
India was able to remove Kusal Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan from the game during the powerplay in response. After receiving starts, Mahela Jayawardene and Lahiru Thirimanne were both removed. But with six wickets and 13 balls remaining, Kumar Sangakkara led his team home with an undefeated 52 from 35 balls. After years of frustration, Sri Lankan fans were finally able to enjoy an ICC final victory.
Following their triumph in the final, the renowned T20I cricket team of Jayawardene and Sangakkara announced their retirement. After winning the prized trophy, their teammates gave them a suitable send-off by carrying them on their shoulders.
