As an ardent cricket fan, perhaps the most dramatic turnarounds of the mid nineties was Sri-Lanka's meteoric rise from being cricketing minnows to becoming one of the top ODI teams. Sri-Lanka's story can be termed as the "Rise of the Phoenix" considering the civil war in the country at the background.

It all began sometimes in the mid nineties when the command of the team came into the able hands of a shrewd yet brilliant tactician Arjuna Ranatunga. Ranatunga as an able leader identified the right potential, brought the best out of his team and marshaled his resources well to make the Island nation, one of the most competitive sides of that era.

Ranatunga then combined extremely well with coach Dave Whatmore who built match winning strategies and gave them the confidence to win at the big level. The defining moment came in 1996, when from nowhere and tagged as potential underdogs, the Lankan side created waves by winning the World Cup hosted in the sub-continent.

So let’s analyse who were the men who became part of Sri-Lanka's golden generation in limited overs cricket.

Batting

The plot unfolded with Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana. Arguably the most destructive opening batsman of his era, Sanath could demolish the best of attacks on his day with his aggressive strokeplay. Gifted with good hand-eye coordination, Sanath was a blatant cutter and puller of the ball and once set could change a game on his own. He was ably partnered by Little Kalu who was short in demeanor but tall in stature. Kaluwitharana was aggressive in his intent from the very start and provided valuable cameos up the order. They formed a formidable opening pair who made the concept of pinch hitting a success in the cricketing world. Kalu was an acrobatic wicketkeeper, too, who did a magnificent job behind the stumps for Sri Lanka. He had razor sharp reflexes and took some sensational catches.

The middle order revolved around Aravinda De Silva who was a class of his own with his sublime stroke play all round the wicket. De Silva had all the shots in the book but was very strong square of the wicket. He was ably supported by the likes of Big and burly Asanka Gurusinha who had a sound temperament. Captain Ranatunga himself was a handy middle order batsman who cleverly maneuvered the ball in the gaps. The batting was lent depth by the ever talented Roshan Mahanama who could bat in any position and the technically sound and compact Hashan Tillekaratne. Add to this, the tail which comprised of Chaminda Vaas and Upul Chandana who gave impetus to the innings towards the end by slogging a few over the park. The Lankan batting order seemed never ending!!!

Bowling

Sri lanka's success with the ball should be largely credited to Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan. The pace department was well led by Vaas through that period. Vaas bowled an immaculate line and swung the ball just enough to give his side the initial breakthroughs. Vaas wasn't express pace yet bowled with control and guile. He was partnered well by the likes of Pramodya Wikramsinghe, Ravindra Pushpakumara, Sanjeeva De Silva and Nuwan Zoysa.

The spin attack was led by the legendary off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. The old wily fox could turn the ball like a top on any surface and bamboozled the best of batsmen with the wrong one (Doosra). Murali had a bag full of tricks to which the best batsmen didn’t have any answer. He cast a web when on song and rattled out oppositions in no time. Sri Lanka's biggest match winner with the ball was well complemented by Kumara Dharamsena who bowled his off-breaks very economically and the leggie Upul Chandana who bowled quickly through the air. Jayasuriya and De Silva usually did a decent job as the team’s fifth bowler with their handy spin bowling.

Fielding

Among all Asian sides, Sri lanka was perhaps the best fielding outfit. Most of their fielders were athletic and quick across the turf. The best of the lot at that time were Muralitharan, Jayasuriya and Upul Chandana who patrolled the point and cover region well. Whereas Roshan Mahanama and Aravinda De Silva were safe slip fielders. The side laid a lot of emphasis on fielding which paid off well for them.
So in a nutshell, here is my greatest eleven for Sri Lanka for the period (1995-2000)
Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwithrana, Asanka Gurusinghe, Aravinda De Silva, Arjuna Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama,Hashan Tillekeratne, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Chandana, Muttiah Muralitharan and Pramodya Wikramsinghe

12th-Man- Kumara Dharamasena

The Srilankan team had a decent bench strength with the likes of Marvan Attapatu (opener/test specialist), Russel Arnold (handy all rounder), Sanjeeva De Silva & Ravindra Pushpakumara (pacers),Lanka De Silva (reserve wicket-keeper) and Avishka Gunawardene (opener)who all did well when called on national duty.