Arjuna Ranatunga, the Sri Lankan captain, writes on the reaction in Sri Lanka to their World Cup victory in 1992 and their hopes of a repeat pefrormance this summer.

'Sri Lanka conquers Mount Everest' screamed a leading newspaper in Sri Lanka in its headlines on March 18, 1996. This was not a reference to our emulating Sir Edmund Hilary and others but the fact that we had negotiated something thought almost impossible. This gives a vivid reflection of what the World cup victory meant to most Sri Lankans.

Apart from a few of the calibre of Tony Greig, Sir Richard Hadlee and Viv Richards, who hinted at our possible success, no one really expected us to be the champions - this was reflected in our odds of 66-1. But many had ignored our success in New Zealand and Pakistan as well as in Sharjah, while the controversial Australian tour hardened us as a team.

At the outset we did not expect to go beyond the semi-final stage. However, after our victories over India and Kenya, where we created a world record, our perception changed. We knew we had the capabilities and our confidence rose in leaps and bounds. Prior to the tournament we had won a meagre four matches in all the World Cups put together, but in 1996 we won all eight matches including those against Australia and West Indies. As far as the team was concerned, this was the crowning effort because it is no secret that up to this time we were more or less the underdogs and usually made up the numbers in any tournament.

Cricket is regarded today as almost religious in the subcontinent. Up to this point Sri Lanka was identified with the tea we produce. Henceforth cricket has given us a new identity as the world champions in the limited-overs game.

I shall never forget the flight home after the match (the plane piloted, incidentally, by Sunil Wettimuny who had represented Sri Lanka in the inaugural World Cup), the rapturous reception at the airport and the ensuing ticker-tape parade to Colombo, where we were hosted by the Sri Lankan President at her official residence.

Much has been made of our pinch-hitting in the first 15 overs. This was a common-sense decision arrived at after watching the individual cricketers and the fact that only two fielders could patrol the outfield. Neither Sanath Jayasuriya nor Romesh Kaluwitharana were much of a success as middle-order batsmen, but they were capable of hitting hard over the heads of fielders. Duleep Mendis and I discussed the strategy of sending them in to open, and tried it out after discussions with the tour management Down Under in 1995/96. It proved to be enormously successful, of course, and has been emulated by many teams since.

On a downbeat note, the recent calling of Muttiah Muralitharan was in my opinion a blot in cricketing history where Australia is concerned. Many are of the view that the calling exposed a huge conspiracy on the part of some individuals.

Just before our '95/96 tour Mushtaq Ahmed had reportedly expressed his concern as to how the Australians would face Muralitharan. In my view the Australian coach and others took the cue and the rest is history. The Murali affair certainly encouraged us more, so much so that we dedicated one of our victories over Australia to him. The fact that experts on the ICC committee have cleared his action should satisfy the umpires throughout the world and lay this issue to rest.

Being world champions initially put huge pressure on us as our supporters, who have now become more realistic, expected us to win all the time. Winning the Emirates Cup and the Test in England last year removed the misconception that we are capable of winning only in our part of the world and certainly boosted our confidence.

We know that conditions during this World Cup will be different, but then those problems, like the recent injuries to key players, we face with equanimity. The entire team is looking forward to a successful performance and visit.