During his visit to Sri Lanka, Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/narendra-modi">Narendra Modi</a> met with several members of the iconic 1996 World Cup-winning Sri Lankan cricket team on Sunday (April 6) and praised their innovative and fearless style of play, calling it the precursor to modern T20 cricket.
In an engaging interaction with cricket legends such as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/sanath-jayasuriya">Sanath Jayasuriya</a>, Chaminda Vaas, Aravinda de Silva, Marvan Atapattu, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Upul Chandana, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/kumar-dharmasena" rel="dofollow">Kumar Dharmasena</a>, and Romesh Kaluwitharana, PM Modi fondly recalled their contribution to the sport and the deep ties between India and Sri Lanka.
&ldquo;It's a pleasure to meet all of you,&rdquo; said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. &ldquo;Your team still lives in the memory of Indian fans&mdash;the beating you gave us back then hasn&rsquo;t been forgotten,&rdquo; he quipped with a smile.
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He went on to highlight how both India&rsquo;s 1983 World Cup win and Sri Lanka&rsquo;s 1996 triumph significantly reshaped global cricket. &ldquo;India's win in 1983 changed cricket forever, and so did your win in 1996. I genuinely believe that the way you played in that tournament was the beginning of what we now know as T20 cricket,&rdquo; he remarked.
<h2 data-start="838" data-end="1171">Watch PM Modi meeting 1996 WC heroes:</h2>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
A wonderful conversation with members of the Sri Lankan cricket team that won the 1996 World Cup. Do watch&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/3cOD0rBZjA">pic.twitter.com/3cOD0rBZjA</a>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1908851883717902788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2025</a></blockquote>

<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

PM Modi also reflected on India&rsquo;s decision to tour Sri Lanka in 1996 after a deadly bomb blast&mdash;a moment he said symbolised the enduring friendship and sportsmanship between the two nations. &ldquo;When many teams chose to stay away, India said, &lsquo;We will go and play.&rsquo; That decision was appreciated by all, and it sent a strong message: we stand with our neighbours in tough times,&rdquo; he said.
He drew parallels to his own visit to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the 2019 Easter bombings, reinforcing India&rsquo;s unwavering support. &ldquo;The spirit remains the same,&rdquo; he noted.
During the meeting, the Sri Lankan cricketers urged PM Modi to support the development of a high-quality cricket stadium in the northern region, particularly in Jaffna.
(With inputs from agencies)

Cricket, Sports: PM Modi also reflected on India’s decision to tour Sri Lanka in 1996 after a deadly bomb blast—a moment he said symbolised the enduring friendship

During his visit to Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with several members of the iconic 1996 World Cup-winning Sri Lankan cricket team on Sunday (April 6) and praised their innovative and fearless style of play, calling it the precursor to modern T20 cricket. In an engaging interaction with cricket legends such as Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas, Aravinda de Silva, Marvan Atapattu, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Upul Chandana, Kumar Dharmasena, and Romesh Kaluwitharana, PM Modi fondly recalled their contribution to the sport and the deep ties between India and Sri Lanka. “It's a pleasure to meet all of you,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Your team still lives in the memory of Indian fans—the beating you gave us back then hasn’t been forgotten,” he quipped with a smile. Also Read: Exclusive | IPL 2025 | Yuzvendra Chahal: Spinning new dreams with Punjab Kings He went on to highlight how both India’s 1983 World Cup win and Sri Lanka’s 1996 triumph significantly reshaped global cricket. “India's win in 1983 changed cricket forever, and so did your win in 1996. I genuinely believe that the way you played in that tournament was the beginning of what we now know as T20 cricket,” he remarked. Watch PM Modi meeting 1996 WC heroes: A wonderful conversation with members of the Sri Lankan cricket team that won the 1996 World Cup. Do watch… pic.twitter.com/3cOD0rBZjA — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 6, 2025 PM Modi also reflected on India’s decision to tour Sri Lanka in 1996 after a deadly bomb blast—a moment he said symbolised the enduring friendship and sportsmanship between the two nations. “When many teams chose to stay away, India said, ‘We will go and play.’ That decision was appreciated by all, and it sent a strong message: we stand with our neighbours in tough times,” he said. He drew parallels to his own visit to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the 2019 Easter bombings, reinforcing India’s unwavering support. “The spirit remains the same,” he noted. During the meeting, the Sri Lankan cricketers urged PM Modi to support the development of a high-quality cricket stadium in the northern region, particularly in Jaffna. (With inputs from agencies)

Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning side gave birth to T20 cricket, says PM Modi

Retired ICC official Marais Erasmus has admitted that both on-field umpires on the day of the 2019 World Cup final at the Lord’s, including him and Kumar Dharmasena, made two crucial errors, leading to England winning the World Cup against New Zealand for the first time in history. Following the first-of-a-kind finish to a 100-over WC final, the match went into the Super Over, where England emerged victorious on boundary count since the scores were tied during that too.

However, what led to that was the talking point. In the final over, England needed 15 off six balls, with Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid batting. On the third ball, Martin Guptill’s throw from the deep mid-wicket hit Stokes’ bat and went for a four. What happened then - since both had completed a double and the ball went for a four, the umpires awarded six runs. Instead, they should have awarded five runs because, at the time of the throw, the batters hadn’t crossed each other.&nbsp;

What led to that was, had the officials awarded five runs instead of six, England would have needed four from two balls, and not three, and who knows what that could have led to.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/otd-in-2011-india-lifts-world-cup-after-28-years-when-ms-dhoni-led-men-in-blue-claimed-ultimate-glory-706826">OTD in 2011: ‘India lifts World Cup’ – Relive the moment MS Dhoni-led Men in Blue claimed ultimate glory</a>

Meanwhile, with bygones be bygones, England made a match out of that situation, with Stokes standing between New Zealand and their maiden World Cup title. He stood tall till the end to ensure the hosts were walking away with the win.

“The next morning I opened my hotel room door on my way to breakfast and Kumar opened his door at the same time and he said, ‘Did you see we made a massive error?’,” Erasmus told the Daily Telegraph.

“That’s when I got to know about it. But in the moment on the field, we just said six, you know, communicated to each other, ‘six, six, it’s six’ not realising that they haven’t crossed, it wasn’t picked up. That’s it,” he added.&nbsp;

<h2>The second (or the first) error</h2>

During New Zealand’s innings, who batted first in the final, Erasmus gave Ross Taylor out LBW, admitting though he felt the ball was hitting the stumps with the naked eye, replays&nbsp;showed it was missing them. But since the BlackCaps had exhausted their reviews by then, they had to settle with the umpire’s decision.

“It was just too high but they had burnt their review. That was my only error in the whole seven weeks, and, afterwards, I was so disappointed because it would have been an absolute flip had I got through the whole World Cup not making an error and that obviously impacted the game a bit because he was one of their top players,” the now-retired official added.&nbsp;

However, having stood in 82 Tests during his career, Erasmus admitted that New Zealand was the nicest team to umpire.

“They were always very, very respectful,” Erasmus concluded.

Retired ICC official Marais Erasmus has admitted that both on-field umpires on the day of the 2019 World Cup final at the Lord’s, including him and Kumar Dharmasena, made two crucial errors, leading to England winning the World Cup against New Zealand for the first time in history.

Retired ICC official Marais Erasmus has admitted that both on-field umpires on the day of the 2019 World Cup final at the Lord’s, including him and Kumar Dharmasena, made two crucial errors, leading to England winning the World Cup against New Zealand for the first time in history. Following the first-of-a-kind finish to a 100-over WC final, the match went into the Super Over, where England emerged victorious on boundary count since the scores were tied during that too. However, what led to that was the talking point. In the final over, England needed 15 off six balls, with Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid batting. On the third ball, Martin Guptill’s throw from the deep mid-wicket hit Stokes’ bat and went for a four. What happened then - since both had completed a double and the ball went for a four, the umpires awarded six runs. Instead, they should have awarded five runs because, at the time of the throw, the batters hadn’t crossed each other. What led to that was, had the officials awarded five runs instead of six, England would have needed four from two balls, and not three, and who knows what that could have led to. ALSO READ: OTD in 2011: ‘India lifts World Cup’ – Relive the moment MS Dhoni-led Men in Blue claimed ultimate glory Meanwhile, with bygones be bygones, England made a match out of that situation, with Stokes standing between New Zealand and their maiden World Cup title. He stood tall till the end to ensure the hosts were walking away with the win. “The next morning I opened my hotel room door on my way to breakfast and Kumar opened his door at the same time and he said, ‘Did you see we made a massive error?’,” Erasmus told the Daily Telegraph. “That’s when I got to know about it. But in the moment on the field, we just said six, you know, communicated to each other, ‘six, six, it’s six’ not realising that they haven’t crossed, it wasn’t picked up. That’s it,” he added. The second (or the first) error During New Zealand’s innings, who batted first in the final, Erasmus gave Ross Taylor out LBW, admitting though he felt the ball was hitting the stumps with the naked eye, replays showed it was missing them. But since the BlackCaps had exhausted their reviews by then, they had to settle with the umpire’s decision. “It was just too high but they had burnt their review. That was my only error in the whole seven weeks, and, afterwards, I was so disappointed because it would have been an absolute flip had I got through the whole World Cup not making an error and that obviously impacted the game a bit because he was one of their top players,” the now-retired official added. However, having stood in 82 Tests during his career, Erasmus admitted that New Zealand was the nicest team to umpire. “They were always very, very respectful,” Erasmus concluded.

Retired official Marais Erasmus admits umpires made ‘two crucial errors’ in 2019 World Cup final

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially announced the officiating panel for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India as the top names will call the game starting from Thursday, October 5. The ICC announced a 20-member team for the World Cup that comprises of 16 umpires and four referees. India’s Nitin Menon and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena will take charge of the curtain-raiser contest between England and New Zealand that will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

<h2>Officiating panel for ODI World Cup</h2>

The ODI World Cup will kick start in a repeat of the 2019 edition final as New Zealand will square off against defending champions England. The 20-member panel will officiate in the league stage with officials for the semifinal and final to be named after the initial stage. The officiating team will work on 48 matches during the tournament with the final taking place at the same venue as the curtain-raiser contest in Ahmedabad.

Of the 16 umpires to officiate at the World Cup, 12 belong to the elite panel of ICC umpires. The remaining four belong to the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel. They include Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (Bangladesh), Paul Wilson (Australia), Alex Wharf (England) and Chris Brown (New Zealand).

The trio of Dharmasena, Erasmus and Tucker had officiated in the 2019 World Cup final with another veteran Aleem Dar stepping down from the elite panel of ICC umpires in March.

Sean Easey, ICC Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees believes that this group would do an excellent job during the global event.

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“We are pleased to announce the match officials who will be officiating at the biggest ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup ever,” Easey said. “This group is the very best from around the world and we believe that they are ready to perform what will be a challenging job with the eyes of the global cricketing community focussed on every decision.”

“We are confident that they will do an excellent job and wish them all the best of luck for what will surely be a World Cup to remember.”

<h2>List of Umpires</h2>

They are Christopher Gaffaney (New Zealand), Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka), Marais Erasmus (South Africa), Michael Gough (England), Nitin Menon (India), Paul Reiffel (Australia), Richard Illingworth (England), Richard Kettleborough (England), Rodney Tucker (Australia), Joel Wilson (West Indies), Ahsan Raza (Pakistan), and Adrian Holdstock (South Africa).

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially announced the officiating panel for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India as the top names will call the game starting from Thursday, October 5.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially announced the officiating panel for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India as the top names will call the game starting from Thursday, October 5. The ICC announced a 20-member team for the World Cup that comprises of 16 umpires and four referees. India’s Nitin Menon and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena will take charge of the curtain-raiser contest between England and New Zealand that will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Officiating panel for ODI World Cup The ODI World Cup will kick start in a repeat of the 2019 edition final as New Zealand will square off against defending champions England. The 20-member panel will officiate in the league stage with officials for the semifinal and final to be named after the initial stage. The officiating team will work on 48 matches during the tournament with the final taking place at the same venue as the curtain-raiser contest in Ahmedabad. Of the 16 umpires to officiate at the World Cup, 12 belong to the elite panel of ICC umpires. The remaining four belong to the ICC Emerging Umpire Panel. They include Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (Bangladesh), Paul Wilson (Australia), Alex Wharf (England) and Chris Brown (New Zealand). The trio of Dharmasena, Erasmus and Tucker had officiated in the 2019 World Cup final with another veteran Aleem Dar stepping down from the elite panel of ICC umpires in March. Sean Easey, ICC Senior Manager – Umpires and Referees believes that this group would do an excellent job during the global event. ALSO READ | Rohit Sharma eyes Chris Gayle's unique ODI record, showers praise on Rahul Dravid “We are pleased to announce the match officials who will be officiating at the biggest ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup ever,” Easey said. “This group is the very best from around the world and we believe that they are ready to perform what will be a challenging job with the eyes of the global cricketing community focussed on every decision.” “We are confident that they will do an excellent job and wish them all the best of luck for what will surely be a World Cup to remember.” List of Umpires They are Christopher Gaffaney (New Zealand), Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka), Marais Erasmus (South Africa), Michael Gough (England), Nitin Menon (India), Paul Reiffel (Australia), Richard Illingworth (England), Richard Kettleborough (England), Rodney Tucker (Australia), Joel Wilson (West Indies), Ahsan Raza (Pakistan), and Adrian Holdstock (South Africa). WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

ODI World Cup 2023: Nitin Menon, Kumar Dharmasena to officiate in ENG vs NZ curtain-raiser

Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena has been appointed to stand in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/its-england-vs-new-zealand-in-final-on-july-14-the-world-will-see-a-new-cricket-champion-235146">World Cup final</a> between England and New Zealand at Lord's on Sunday despite finding himself involved in a controversial incident with home batsman Jason Roy.

The Surrey opener had made 85 to set England on their way to an eventual eight-wicket win against Australia in Thursday's semi-final at Edgbaston, when he was given out caught behind down the legside by Dharmasena.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/englands-jason-roy-escapes-world-cup-final-ban-after-dissent-fine-235227">Roy </a>requested a review but England had already used their lone review of the innings.&nbsp;

Nevertheless, Dharmasena incorrectly signalled for a review, with Australia pointing out his mistake.

Roy, his arms spread wide, clearly believed Dharmasena should have signalled a wide delivery instead and the audibly furious batsman had to be ushered away from the crease by square-leg umpire Marais Erasmus.&nbsp;

Replays suggested he did not touch the ball.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/england-thrash-australia-by-eight-wickets-to-reach-world-cup-final-235127">England </a>star, 28, was fined 30 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent and received two demerit points from match referee Ranjan Madugalle.

That took his tally for the World Cup to three but match bans only kick in when a player collects four demerit points in total, leaving Roy available to feature on Sunday as England bid to win the World Cup for the first time.

South Africa's Erasmus will be the other onfield umpire in the final, with experienced Sri Lankan official Madugalle once again the match referee.

But in a change from the Edgbaston line-up, Australia's Rod Tucker will be the third umpire instead of New Zealand's Chris Gaffaney, who was ruled out of officiating in the showpiece match once the Black Caps beat India in Wednesday's first semi-final at Old Trafford.

Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena has been appointed to stand in the World Cup final between England and New Zealand at Lord's on Sunday despite finding himself involved in a controversial incident with home batsman Jason Roy.

Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena has been appointed to stand in the World Cup final between England and New Zealand at Lord's on Sunday despite finding himself involved in a controversial incident with home batsman Jason Roy. The Surrey opener had made 85 to set England on their way to an eventual eight-wicket win against Australia in Thursday's semi-final at Edgbaston, when he was given out caught behind down the legside by Dharmasena. Roy requested a review but England had already used their lone review of the innings. Nevertheless, Dharmasena incorrectly signalled for a review, with Australia pointing out his mistake. Roy, his arms spread wide, clearly believed Dharmasena should have signalled a wide delivery instead and the audibly furious batsman had to be ushered away from the crease by square-leg umpire Marais Erasmus. Replays suggested he did not touch the ball. The England star, 28, was fined 30 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent and received two demerit points from match referee Ranjan Madugalle. That took his tally for the World Cup to three but match bans only kick in when a player collects four demerit points in total, leaving Roy available to feature on Sunday as England bid to win the World Cup for the first time. South Africa's Erasmus will be the other onfield umpire in the final, with experienced Sri Lankan official Madugalle once again the match referee. But in a change from the Edgbaston line-up, Australia's Rod Tucker will be the third umpire instead of New Zealand's Chris Gaffaney, who was ruled out of officiating in the showpiece match once the Black Caps beat India in Wednesday's first semi-final at Old Trafford.