Cricket World Cup History: 7 greatest finals of all time

#5 1996: Aravinda de Silva single-handedly wins for it Sri Lanka

Aravinda's innings is still rated as one of best

Sri Lanka took on Australia in the 1996 World Cup amid a growing rivalry between the two. The Aussies batted first with captain Mark Taylor leading from the front along with highly talented Ricky Ponting. But Sri Lanka's four-pronged spin attack kept picking wickets in the middle overs as Australia ended up with 241-7.

The Islanders had a shocking start as they lost the attacking duo of Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana with just 23 runs on board. That's when Sri Lanka's crisis man Aravinda de Silva produced a masterclass of batting under pressure.

His partnership with Asanka Gurusinha steadied the innings as the dew helped the batsmen. He was later joined by Arjuna Ranatunga and the duo finished off the chase to become the first team to win a World Cup final after chasing. Aravinda de Silva's all-round performance (107* and 3/42) fetched him the Man of the Match award.