Cricket World Cup History: Looking back at the career of the hero of Sri Lanka's 1996 WC triumph, Aravinda de Silva

Playing for a weak team has its disadvantages, particularly during the early stages of one’s career. Arjuna Ranatunga found this out to his dismay, as did some of the Zimbabwean players. Even for the highly talented, it is difficult to motivate themselves amid all the gloom of recurring defeats. This was well marked in the case of Aravinda de Silva, for as the Sri Lankan team ascended the ladder of success, he too flowered as a batsman. For long, the pundits spoke glowingly about his great skills, but he often threw in his hand by playing the wrong shot when well set, much in the manner of Carl Hooper of the West Indies.

For this, de Silva was long referred to as ‘Mad Max’ - though many may have already forgotten - so brilliantly did he bat in the later years. At one stage, he was rated among the top five batsmen in the world. On his day he was unstoppable, and as Ian Chappell once said: “He is a streaky player, not in the usual sense that it is understood, but for his streaks of successive high scores”, he was a gem of a stroke-player. Once de Silva started getting big scores, he rattled off a number of them in a row. By the time he finished, the series or tournament would have been won. Aravinda de Silva was indeed one of the best, and in the mid-nineties he was outstanding.

Aravinda de Silva was in irresistible form in the 1996 World Cup.

Like all world-class batsmen, de Silva had a very compact defence. At the same time, his shots were breathtaking. He had all of them, the drive, the cut, the pull, the sweep, and the hook. He was a superb player of spin, and as Sunil Gavaskar observed: “He is the best player in the world against Anil Kumble”. Pace also did not trouble de Silva, and he often smashed it nonchalantly. A very intense man at the crease, de Silva has been one of the greatest batsmen to emerge from the Emerald Island.

De Silva made a fine debut, playing a valiant inning in a vain attempt to reach the Pakistan score of 267 in the opening match of the 1987 World Cup. As wickets fell all around him, he battled on to score a polished 42 off just 32 balls with 3 fours and a six. He was eventually bowled by Imran Khan, and with him went Sri Lankan hopes.

This knock earned him a promotion from no.7 to two-down against the West Indies but he was dismissed cheaply. He was back down the order in the remaining matches, in which he did not make an impact. So was the case with most of his teammates. De Silva and Sri Lanka still had some way to go.

It was a similar story in 1992. De Silva was captain but Sri Lanka were still struggling to make a mark in the highest tier of the game. In that high-scoring win against Zimbabwe at New Plymouth, de Silva missed out on a big score. He was shaping well against New Zealand at Hamilton, having scored 31 in a third-wicket partnership of 70 with Roshan Mahanama before he was run out. The next high spot for him was an accomplished knock of 62 in 83 balls off the Aussie attack. He had useful partnerships with opener Athula Samarasekera, Arjuna Ranatunga and Sanath Jayasuriya, but the batting lost luster after his departure. In their last match against eventual champions, Pakistan, de Silva top-scored again with 43, and this time put on 51 for the third wicket with Samarasekera.

This was just a prologue, albeit a long one, to a career waiting to blossom and a player wanting desperately to break free and force his way centre-stage. That happened in the 1996 World Cup. It was familiar territory, the wickets were friendly and the weather suitable. These were just the conditions for Sri Lanka and Aravinda de Silva to show the world that they had arrived. Arjuna Ranatunga was back as captain and de Silva was free to charm the mammoth crowds with his delightful strokeplay.

With Australia and the West Indies preferring to forfeit their matches rather than face perceived threats from militants, Sri Lanka took the field in Colombo only against Zimbabwe. And did they come out with all guns blazing! They restricted Zimbabwe to 228 for six in 50 overs, lost the early wickets of their exciting opening pair, Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, only to set up the platform for de Silva and his third-wicket comrade Asanka Gurusinha. The two smashed the bowlers to all parts of the ground in a brilliant 172-run stand. This was a Sri Lankan record for any wicket in One-day Internationals. De Silva was ultimately leg-before to heath streak at the threshold of victory for a superb 91 off just 86 deliveries with 10 fours and 2 sixes. It was the highest by a Sri Lankan in the World Cup, surpassing Roshan Mahanama’s 89 against Pakistan in 1987, and winning de Silva the man-of-the-match award.

There was a big test next - against India at New Delhi. De Silva often rescued his side when in trouble, but equally seemed to get out cheaply when the other batsmen scored heavily. And so it was here, with de Silva not bothering the scorers much while Jayasuriya and others took the Indian attack apart.

It was, however, not so when the Sri Lankans went all the way back home to play Kenya at Kandy. This match was another milestone in their march to Himalayan heights as they knocked up the highest total of 398 for five not only in the World Cup but in all limited-overs cricket. De Silva’s role in it was stupendous as he joined old mate Gurusinha at 88 for two, which had come off a mere 40 deliveries.

They settled down to an awesome partnership, adding 183 runs in 182 balls, thereby eclipsing their own third-wicket record set against Zimbabwe the previous week. Then de Silva was associated in another century partnership with skipper Ranatunga, putting on 106 for the fourth wicket. On the way, de Silva became the first Sri Lankan batsman to score 5000 runs in One-day Internationals, which was emulated by Ranatunga later in the innings. De Silva reached the first century by a Sri Lankan in the World Cup, taking just 92 balls. When he was finally out for 145, scored off only 115 deliveries, having hit 14 fours and 5 sixes, he already had the record for the highest score by a Sri Lankan in One-day Internationals, beating Sanath Jayasuriya’s 140 versus New Zealand at Bloemfontein in 1994. Again, de Silva was man-of-the-match.

The quarter-final at Faisalabad against a listless English team was a tame affair except for the fact that Jayasuriya smashed a quick-fire fifty. De Silva hit 31 off 30 deliveries with 5 fours, and put on 52 in 55 balls for the third wicket with Gurusinha, as Sri Lanka advanced easily.

The dramatic semi-final before a roaring crowd of 110,000 at the Eden Gardens was another scene of triumph for de Silva. He came in to face the fifth ball of the match with the score reading 1 run for two wickets, and Kaluwitharana and Jayasuriya back in the pavilion. What followed was an absolute gem from de Silva’s blade. Unmindful of the early reverses he put on the finest exhibition of strokeplay that one would desire to witness. His trademark drives and pulls were in full evidence as he went about demolishing the Indian attack even as Javagal Srinath captured his third wicket, sending back Gurusinha at 35 in the 7th over.

De Silva then put on 50 for the fourth wicket with Mahanama. He had hit 66 of the 85 runs that had been scored when he was deceived by a Kumble beauty and was bowled middle-stump. Having faced just 47 deliveries and hit 14 fours in his glorious knock, de Silva laid a foundation for the later batsmen to build upon. It was his 36th half-century in One-day Internationals, and he reached it in only 32 balls with 11 boundaries. He was simply unstoppable on this day. This won him another man-of-the-match award as India collapsed on a deteriorating track, with de Silva picking up the wicket of Nayan Mongia to round off a happy match.

Came the final at Lahore, and Sri Lanka were no longer underdogs. Indeed, de Silva stole the show. He first came up trumps with the ball, his accurate off-spin bothering the Aussies no end. He broke the 101-run second-wicket stand, having top-scorer Mark Taylor caught by Jayasuriya, and soon after clean bowled the other partner, Ricky Ponting. Thereafter he held catches to dismiss Steve Waugh and Stuart Law, and finally clean bowled Ian Healy to finish with three for 42 off 9 overs. De Silva had a hand in five of the seven wickets that fell. That was only the beginning.

When the Sri Lankans’ turn came, the two openers left early once again, for de Silva to step in at 23 for two after 5.2 overs. Then followed a masterful exhibition of batting from the maestro. His long-standing ally Gurusinha was at hand again to give him company as he decimated the Australians. They put on 125 in 25 overs before Gurusinha departed.

De Silva had reached his fifty off the same number of balls and was joined by skipper Ranatunga. They batted serenely, determined to clinch the coveted trophy. Theirs was an unbroken stand of 97 in just 16 overs as the helpless Aussies just stood and watched. In the process de Silva scored his second hundred of the tournament, reaching the mark off 119 deliveries. He remained unbeaten with 107 off 124 balls, having struck 13 boundaries. Sri Lanka won with 3.4 overs to spare.

It was a magnificent knock, and de Silva joined the ranks of Clive Lloyd and Sir Vivian Richards as the only batsmen to have hit centuries in World Cup finals. Ricky Ponting joined the club in 2003, Adam Gilchrist in 2007 and Mahela Jayawardene in 2011. De Silva also emulated Mohinder Amarnath’s feat of 1983 by winning the man-of-the-match award in the semi-final as well as final of a World Cup. Shane Warne replicated it in 1999. Aravinda de Silva was now in the company of legends. His four man-of-the-match awards in this tournament were equalled only by Lance Klusener in 1999 and Yuvraj Singh in 2011.

If everything that de Silva and Sri Lanka touched turned to gold in 1996, they had to bite the dust when the tournament was held in England in 1999. The signs were ominous as de Silva was dismissed for a duck in the opening encounter against the hosts. All that he had to show for his efforts in the tournament was a half-century off the Indians. It was a miserable time for him as his team too bowed out unsung.

In the aftermath, there were many occasions when it seemed that de Silva’s career was over. At thirty-seven he came back for one last stint in the World Cup in 2003. Though he was past his best, he could still conjure innings of rare brilliance. He remained a stalwart in the middle-order and continued to pick up useful wickets. The opening match against New Zealand belonged to skipper Jayasuriya, and in the wins over minnows Bangladesh and Canada, de Silva was virtually a bystander.

Just when Sri Lanka seemed to be coasting, they hit a speed-breaker in the form of leg-spinner Collins Obuya. Chasing Kenya’s 210, openers Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu had gone with just 39 on the board. De Silva and Hashan Tillekeratne took the score to 71 before Obuya struck. He dismissed Tillekeratne, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara at regular intervals. At 105 for five, de Silva was Sri Lanka’s last hope. Seven runs later, he too fell victim to Obuya’s guile, being snapped up behind the sticks by Kennedy Otieno. Under the circumstances, it was a splendid little knock of 41, even though it could not bail the team out. Having faced 53 deliveries, de Silva hit 4 fours and a six. Obuya dismissed Chaminda Vaas too, and Kenya clinched a sensational 53-run win before a joyous home crowd.

De Silva looked in brilliant touch against the West Indies but was run out for a-run-a-ball 13 in a terrible mix-up with Jayasuriya. Sri Lanka, though, clinched an exciting win, and with it a berth in the super-six. De Silva claimed his 100th One-day International wicket, dismissing Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

The last pool match with South Africa still remained, with the chances of the hosts hinging on a desperately-needed win. De Silva added 152 for the fourth wicket with Atapattu, helping post a formidable score of 268. He was in his elements, hooking Makhaya Ntini high into the stands and lifting Andrew Hall over the long-on boundary. Having stroked six boundaries in addition to the two sixes, de Silva departed for 73 off 78 deliveries. As South Africa got off to a flying start, de Silva spiked the chase with the wickets of Graeme Smith and Gary Kirsten. He finished with two for 36 off 8 overs, and as rain intervened, the Duckworth-Lewis method decreed that the match was tied.

Faced with a lost cause against the irrepressible Aussies, de Silva showcased his class one last time. “This is probably my last tour. I think I’m giving it a go with the best of my abilities,” he declared. After the reigning champions had rattled up 319 for five, de Silva strode in at 46 for two, with Jayasuriya also having retired hurt. Soon it was 48 for four. Sangakkara and Vaas hung around long enough to help add 52 and 44 runs respectively. Once seven wickets had tumbled for 149, de Silva cut loose. Dilhara Fernando scored just 9 in a 54-run eighth-wicket stand. Just when de Silva was in sight of a rousing century, he hit back a return catch to chinaman bowler Brad Hogg. His 92 off 94 deliveries comprised 9 delightful boundaries and 4 superbly timed sixes. This was his ninth score in the nineties, the most in One-day Internationals. He became the fifth to notch up 1000 runs in the World Cup, joining the exalted company of Sachin Tendulkar, Javed Miandad, Vivian Richards, and Mark Waugh.

This was indeed de Silva’s last stand. Up against Australia once more in the semi-final, he dismissed a rampaging Adam Gilchrist, who walked after tickling a sweep into the gloves of Sangakkara. De Silva later had Hogg stumped, and his two for 36 off 10 overs helped restrict the Aussies to 212 for seven. But the Port Elizabeth wicket had not been kind to batsmen in this event, and Sri Lanka lost wickets rapidly. De Silva was run out for 11, bringing to a close a glittering career.

Finishing third in the list of run-getters in the World Cup, de Silva’s was a sterling role in his team’s successes. A strike-rate of 86.57 in the premier event was proof of his attacking batsmanship. Even so, mere statistics cannot do justice to his exhilarating strokeplay.

De Silva is an icon in Sri Lanka, and one of the finest batsmen to grace a cricket field. He has also been a terrific ambassador for the game with his exemplary behaviour. Not a trace of petulance is there in his demeanour, nor ever a harsh word about anyone. Aravinda de Silva should be a role model for all budding cricketers, coming through the ranks of a team hovering at the bottom of the league, to win them the biggest prize in the game through his heroic exploits. Doubtlessly de Silva, when in good nick, turned batting into the magnificent spectacle that only the very best can.

Aravinda de Silva’s World Cup record:

Batting: Matches: 35, Highest Score: 145, Runs: 1064, Average: 36.68, Strike-rate: 86.57, Hundreds: 2, Fifties: 6, Catches: 14

Bowling: Wickets: 16, Average: 41.93, Best: 3/42, Economy: 4.97

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