Muttiah Muralitharan believes that Sri Lanka may go into the coming World Cup in the Caribbean as a strong contender but the 1996 victorious team from the island nation was a better side than the current one.

``Some experts are tipping us to surprise a few at the World Cup and maybe even win it. I think we have a good chance but I still believe the Sri Lanka team of 1996 was better,’’ Muralitharan who will be playing in his fourth World Cup, said.

``When we won the World Cup in 1996, batting-wise the team was more experienced, had flair, everything was there in that team,’’ the record-breaking off-spinner wrote on bigstarcricket.com.

``It’s difficult for people to say we are better now because I played in both eras and the batting was much stronger then.

``This team now has a better bowling attack than what we had that time but we had a better balance in the ‘96 World Cup because there were four spinners in the side and only two fast bowlers,’’ he added.

The Sri Lankan, who is the world’s second highest wicket-taker after Australian Shane Warne, said the current team did not solely depend on him for Cup success.

``We are not a one-man team. To win a World Cup the batters have to do well and then the bowlers chip in. That’s the way you win the World Cup,’’ he said.

Muralitharan said being a senior player, he would carry more responsibility and pressure. ``I am more experienced now but I was still experienced then, just that the pressure (of expectation) was less.

``I was 22-years-old at the time when the captain would say `do this’ but now it’s up to me to work things out myself and the pressure is on me more.

``I enjoy playing under pressure, though, because I am used to it. If there is no pressure you are not going to do well,’’ he wrote.