Sanath Jayasuriya shows off his 27-year-old car from 1996 World Cup win with Sri Lanka

Sanath Jayasuriya, a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played a crucial role in his team's 1996 World Cup victory, recently shared an old photo of the red Audi car he won as the Man of the Series award. The left-handed batsman was recognized for his outstanding all-round performance in the tournament, scoring 221 runs and taking 7 crucial wickets. Jayasuriya has fond memories of the car, which holds special significance for him.

Jayasuriya had an impressive career, amassing 13,430 runs in 445 ODIs, 6,973 runs in 110 Tests, and 629 runs in 31 T20Is. He also hit 42 international centuries, including three double centuries in Tests. As a spin-bowling all-rounder, he claimed 323, 98, and 19 wickets in ODIs, Tests, and T20Is, respectively. Jayasuriya also played for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, scoring 768 runs and taking 13 wickets in 30 games.

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Sanath Jayasuriya wins 1996 World Cup with Sri Lanka

During the 1996 World Cup final against Australia, Aravinda de Silva stole the show with his century, three wickets, and two catches. Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga won the toss and chose to bowl first. Australia managed to score 63 runs in the last ten overs, thanks to Mark Taylor's 74 and Michael Bevan's 36 off 49 balls, setting a target of 241/7.

Sri Lanka had a shaky start, losing their opening batsmen Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana with only 23 runs on the board. However, Asanka Gurusinha's 65 and de Silva's 107 took the game away from Australia, and skipper Ranatunga's quickfire 47 off 37 balls helped Sri Lanka to reach the target of 245/3 in 46.2 overs. This victory was particularly significant, as Sri Lanka had been unbeaten throughout the tournament.

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Despite playing eight matches against Australia in World Cups, Sri Lanka has won only one match, which was the 1996 World Cup final. Australia has won all other encounters between the two teams thus far except for the final of the 1996 World Cup, the only match that mattered the most.

Image: Twitter/SanathJayasuriya