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Hosted by Pakistan, India & Sri Lanka
England: Quarter-finals
How England performed
England could not repeat their run to the 1992 final when the 1996 World Cup was staged across Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. Captained by Michael Atherton, with Ray Illingworth as head coach, they opened Group B with an 11-run defeat by New Zealand in Ahmedabad. Two wins in Peshawar followed, by 8 wickets against the United Arab Emirates and by 49 runs against the Netherlands, but the remaining group fixtures brought defeats. South Africa won by 78 runs in Rawalpindi, dismissing England for 152, and Pakistan chased 250 to win by 7 wickets in Karachi.
Two wins were nevertheless enough to secure a quarter-final against Sri Lanka in Faisalabad. England made 235/8 from their 50 overs, but Sri Lanka reached 236/5 with more than nine overs to spare to win by 5 wickets. England went out at the quarter-final stage with two wins and four defeats from six matches.
England fixtures
New Zealand
239/6 (50 ov) – 228/9 (50 ov)
England
England lost
New Zealand won by 11 runs
United Arab Emirates
136 (48.3 ov) – 140/2 (35 ov)
England
England won
England won by 8 wickets
Match page: United Arab Emirates v England, 18 February 1996
England
279/4 (50 ov) – 230/6 (50 ov)
Netherlands
England won
England won by 49 runs
South Africa
230 (50 ov) – 152 (44.3 ov)
England
England lost
South Africa won by 78 runs
Pakistan
250/3 (47.4 ov) – 249/9 (50 ov)
England
England lost
Pakistan won by 7 wickets
England
235/8 (50 ov) – 236/5 (40.4 ov)
Sri Lanka
England lost
Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets
Full England squad
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Michael Atherton C | Lancashire |
| Dominic Cork | Derbyshire |
| Phillip DeFreitas | Lancashire |
| Neil Fairbrother | Lancashire |
| Darren Gough | Yorkshire |
| Graeme Hick | Worcestershire |
| Peter Martin | Lancashire |
| Richard Illingworth | Worcestershire |
| Jack Russell | Gloucestershire |
| Neil Smith | Warwickshire |
| Robin Smith | Hampshire |
| Alec Stewart | Surrey |
| Graham Thorpe | Surrey |
| Craig White | Yorkshire |
| Dermot Reeve | Warwickshire |
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