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by Richard Dwight

When a man notches nearly 9000 runs to lie third in international 'one dayers', secures the 1996 World Cup for Sri Lanka by his brilliant all-round display, scores as many as 5000 runs in Test cricket - comes back after being laid off for eighteen months, to impart depth, stability and a sedate sobering presence for the team - Then that man must be quite an extraordinary remarkable being.

And he is none other than our proud possession in, Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva, affectionately referred to as 'Ari' by the countless many here and abroad.

The much celebrated 36-year-old Aravinda born on October 17, 1965, even now strides the cricketing arena as a colossus, a veritable genius with the willow.

The mild mannered Aravinda given to sober disciplined ways with a penchant for fast cars and tasty food has also been liberal in assisting charitable causes.

He spent his impressionable early years at D. S. Senanayake College, where his prodigious inborn talent was so nurtured to the extent that he turned out to be a much looked forward to schoolboy cricketer par excellence.

Aravinda having captained his school in his final year continued in the same vein, to after a while skipper his club NCC amassing runs at will at the local cricket tournaments. He was an attractive batsman with much enterprise, and when oozing with confidence would keep the crowd in raptures by his flamboyant cavalier batting, but was quick enough in his masterly fashion to adjust and adapt himself in a crisis to bat sedately on.

Yes indeed, in his inimitable style and candour he always batted in a manner that no one, but only he could.

From the moment Aravinda made his Test debut in 1984 in the Sri Lanka vs England at Lord's and his one day int'l debut against New Zealand in 1983/84, his cricketing prowess both with bat and ball continued to soar until he was sidelined sometime after the 1999 World Cup.In those momentous years for Aravinda, he scored 8780 runs in around 260 one day matches to join the select band of the '8000 run club' and has also taken 90 wickets in the 'one dayers'.

One cannot forget the stellar role he played in scoring an unbeaten 107 and taking 3 wickets to ensure victory in the 1996 one day World Cup final against Australia at Lahore.

In that World Cup tournament he was adjudged the 'Man of the Match' in the semi-finals and finals and did well to pile 448 runs with 145 against Kenya as his highest.

As far as his Test record goes, he has an aggregate of 5952 runs in about 80 matches, with his highest score at 267, having made 19 centuries and taken 30 wickets.

In the memory, is the fine century he scored for Kent in the Benson and Hedges Cup final against Lancashire at Lords, which came in for much praise from the former British Prime Minister, John Major.

Aravinda has had his share of comments from carping critics, some of which are too old, too slow, bats like a millionaire, bats like someone who doesn't care, arrogant, not a team man.

He was found to be slow, far too opinionated in the eyes of some and was dropped, to languish in the backwoods of Sri Lanka cricket.

The prospective youngsters preferred, failed to live upto expectations and Aravinda was recalled to fill in the breach. His mature experienced batting, with much patience and effortless ease has justified the selectors' faith in him.

Aravinda says "I play cricket because I love it" and since his son Sampras was born, he was able to shed many pounds and come down to a fighting weight of 72 kgs.

Aravinda will do well to forget the things which are past and reach forth to the things which are before him.   [Back]

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