The Messenger of 1996 World Cup Final
Trivia:
Have you ever wondered; what players discussed during the drinks break? The 12th Man plays a pivotal role by passing the essential messages from the dressing room to the players in the middle. Sometimes the messages from coach or captain are so crucial that it changes the entire course of the game. There was a funny incident that happened during the 1996 World Cup final.
Embed from Getty ImagesSri Lanka lost the openers early. Aravinda de Silva and Asanka Gurusinha were playing in the middle. It was a high-pressure game, and everyone was nervous in the dressing room. Just before the drinks break all the senior players rushed to 12th man Ravindra Pushpakumara and asked to deliver the messages to Aravinda and Gurusinha on behalf of them like “can you please tell Guru to hit against spin and play sensibly against pace attack” etc. Pushpakumara was overwhelmed by the information. Just before he entered the ground, coach Dav Whatmore approached and requested to deliver a message on behalf of him as well. Pushpakumara nodded, however he didn’t understand the message from the coach. He said, “Okay, Davy” and ran to the field.
Pushpakumara was so nervous that he forgot all the messages when he met Aravinda and Gurusinha in the middle and all he said, “Well played aiyya, keep going”. When he reached the dressing room after the break, everyone asked if he delivered the messages properly. Pushpakumara smiled and said he did. Later Pushpakumara mentioned, it was the most high-pressure moment for him and being a messenger, he couldn’t deliver the messages.