by Imtiaz Zafardeen
26.1.2008
We often look up to modern day stars and marvel at their abilities but history is n ark in your memory bank and to be reminded of Aravinda De Silva is no big deal. Standing not too much above 5ft in height, he was a colossus and to brand him the original ’ entertainer from the island is an apt tag.
It would also be correct to say that Aravinda was born during the right era. Sri Lanka has just made it’s Test cricket debut in 1981-82 and a little known teenaged lad from D. S. Senanayake College, was blazing a hot trail in school cricket, but sure had to continue his bull run till 1984 to find a slot in the already strong and settled Lankan middle order comprising the likes of Dias, Madugalle, Mendis and Ranatunga. Immaterial of the repertoire he brought on stage, two things stood out about him. That swivelling Viv Richard’s impersonated pull/hook and of course that visibly bulging hip/thigh guard of his. His gear could’ve been all over, but so was the ball off his bat.
If Ranatunga was Napoleon as a leader, Aravinda was his Gladiator. He strode on to the pitch like a Trojan Horse and for the better part of his career, he was undoubtedly the vital cog in the batting engine.
The battery of fast bowlers around world cricket struggled to rough him up with the short one and to affirm, much of his runs were scored off those aimed at his throat is an indication of how well he liked and executed his coup de grace.
Barely out of his teens and on his first sub-continent tour to Pakistan, Aravinda lived up to every bit of the hype with three hundreds off the indomitable Iran Khan and Co.
What followed then on was a cementing of his stature and acceleration of his run-scoring skills in all conditions.
The accolades kept pouring in, but the gloss did not stem the flow from his blade. He maintained a sound head above his shoulders, but struggled to hold his feet firmly on the ground, though only when it came to facing the quick men. Meaning, he was busy hooking, pulling and cutting so much it didn’t matter where the feet were. But a deeper look at his end statistics provide a stark revelation.
For a man with such unbridled talent, a Test average of 42.97 does not seem to do justice. Not many will be bold enough to reach his maiden Test hundred with a hooked six off the great Imran Khan and compliment that by smashing the first ball of another innings for a similar hooked six off the other of the awesome foursome all-rounders, Kapil Dev.
The Wisden magazine once summed up rightfully his two-faced demeanour to batting "Capable of patting a full toss harmlessly back to the bowler as equally circumspect at hitting through nonchalantly a good length delivery over the fence."
But they couldn’t ignore the man’s appeal and appetite culminating in him being named the Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1996.
A total of 6361 test runs in 93 matches with 20 hundreds would have certainly read a lot higher and sounded more iconic but the lack of it is probably what makes Aravinda a fascinating breed.
When he was on song, the crowd went ballistic and so did he, but when the form ditched him, he cut a forlorn figure.
The monumental and the then Sri Lankan record 267 against New Zealand in 1990 was a class act.
The Kiwi’s loved him so much, they offered him a contract to play domestic cricket for Auckland and the de Silva family repaid the Kiwi ‘love you’ faith, by settling their daughter in that land more well known for their skills with that odd shaped ball instead.
Sanath Jayasuriya tore apart the English attack to shreds in the ’96 World Cup, but it was Aravinda who caught the eye of the counties in England.
Kent got the nod and they sure got more than what they bargained for. He was the first to reach 1000 runs and lit up the hallowed turf of Lord’s with a majestic 112 off 95 balls against the Wasim Akram led Lancashire in the Benson&Hedges one-day final.
He ran away as the first man on a losing side to win the Gold award in a B&H final but why Kent never wanted him back remains a mystery after a staggering 1781 first class runs that season.
In another passage, he scored seven Test hundreds in eight innings at various grounds across Colombo, and add to that, a one-day streak of five tons in 18 innings. These were startling reminders to the cricket world of what he could unleash if the setting was right.
Then there was the ’96 World Cup, the biggest spectacle to hit the nation apart from the recent Tsunami disaster.
The once whipping boys turned giant-killers, sweeping aside a host of top names to bag the most coveted ODI title.
If there was anyone other than Jayasuriya who deserved personal accolades, it had to be Aravinda. For the rrecord, two noteworthy innings stood out.
The semi-final at Eden gardens against the red-hot Indians went awry right at the top but the calculated manner in which he went on the offensive, as a form of defense for all of 66 runs, inclusive of 14 boundaries, was a shame the innings wasn’t long enough. But as every book has a preface, this was one for the next in the making. After snaring three cheap wickets with his off-breaks to put the skids on the Aussies in the final, he held onto two catches before carving an unbeaten match-winning 107 that had ‘This World cup is ours’ written all over it.
Not many players single-handedly have played such a retro-impact and that too in an all important final. For a moment, it seemed like eleven Kangaroos on the run against a rampaging Lion.
The emblem on his t-shirt looked big that day and so was he. Aravinda continued his purple patch on the Test field and in 17 Tests between 1997-’99, he was ebullient and prolific with nearly 2500 runs at an average close to 79, studded with nine hundreds and five fifties, grandiose enough to push aside the likes of Tendulkar and Lara for the top spot in the world batting rankings.
As in general life, every good thing must come to an end, but not necessarily in tears.
The World cup of 2002 was matchless to the exploits of ’96 and the picture of fast bowlers getting away bouncing at him was an aging confirmation of his waning powers. Then came the ugly match-fixing furor. Aravinda, along with Ranatunga, were dragged into the scandal by the now infamous Mukesh Gupta. Denial was at its staunchest and being cleared of all charges, eventually not only brought sanity but saved a humiliating end to an otherwise glittering career.
His greatest supporter was his father Sam, an unmistakable figure in the stands. As glittery on the field, he was fashionable off it.
Fast cars were Aravinda’s passion and I know for sure he owns a Ferrari though many claim he’s got two. Despite 18 years of engaging international cricket, the man didn’t ignore building his own commercial empire.
He was a shrewd investor and the riches are there to see. Sri Lanka cricket needed an overhaul and roping in Aravinda into the administrative side of functions was unanimous.
He will do well as a batting consultant far more than behind a desk though.
It’s the beginning of another innings, but would be one of a gradual build up in total contrast to his ‘Madmax’ style batting.
He may have not matched the phenomenal heights of a Tendulkar or Lara, but when on top he was the best, probably one of the very best at doing what he loved - batting.
Courtesy - SNNI