Aravinda De Silva

[IsuraE]

My favorite moment was during a super six match in 2003 world cup against Australia. Smashing Brett Lee around the park was fun to watch.

 

[Anil]

best ever srilankan batsman...classy, stylish, devastating...

 

[dinu23]

My favorite moment was during a super six match in 2003 world cup against Australia. Smashing Brett Lee around the park was fun to watch.

Oh yeah, that shot he played over square leg just standing on his back foot! It was amazing!

 

[cricket player]

What comes to mind while talking about arvinda.A great player a good bowler a good fielder.He smashed kumble all over the ground.He was unlike his captain in 1996/1997 he did not liked to stop the bowl, he was infact after the bowler.If you look at hayden he does attack but some times he doesnt time it right and he gets out but arvinda was unlike hayden.He hit shots not into the fielders hand but over the rope every time.It is alway true attack while you are getting attacked.

 

[tooextracool]

this thread really emphasizes how loosely the word ' great' is used. with regard to SL's best ever batsman, id put ranatunga ahead, but i think sangakkara will overtake them both by the end of his career.

 

[dinu23]

this thread really emphasizes how loosely the word ' great' is used. with regard to SL's best ever batsman, id put ranatunga ahead, but i think sangakkara will overtake them both by the end of his career.

He probably will. but he's far more inconsistent than aravinda. If u ask aravinda to go and make a century he will!!(plus, give him a sports car! )

 

[tooextracool]

if you ask aravinda to go make a century away from home, in all likelyhood he wouldnt even come close.

 

[Smudge]

When he played domestic oneday cricket for Auckland one season.

In a couple of his better innings it was like watchin schoolboys bowling to the headmaster....

Great eye, quick hands..

Yep - a particularly memorable century at Eden Park, scored in about 60-70 balls.

I do recall his scything cut shots, often getting under the ball and putting it over the top of the ring field.

 

[C_C]

Where do i start ?
Easily the best batsman to come out of Sri Lanka, Aravinda on song could make the likes of Gower,Malik,Mark Waugh or Azhar look like amatuers........
several things stand out about him...
for one his great knocks in the WC semi finals and finals in 1996.

For two, he was EASILY the best player of reverse swing i've ever seen.
He massacred Akram and Waqar a few times in the mid 90s when they were making the ball reverse like a banana...

for three, his bradmansque patch in 1996/97 in test cricket....where he scored something like 7 tons in 7 matches at 110 average or so....

an awesome batsman to watch and a worldclass bat all in all.

 

[dinu23]

if you ask aravinda to go make a century away from home, in all likelyhood he wouldnt even come close.

why not! the guy has played some super innings abroad...like the 150 odd he made against england, not to mention his county efforts with Kent and the FC innings in NZ.

 

[tooextracool]

the fact that the only other good knock that you could think off in aravinda's entire career away from the sub continent,was in a county game, only emphasises how mediocre he was away from the subcontinent.

 

[Hit4Six]

the fact that the only other good knock that you could think off in aravinda's entire career away from the sub continent,was in a county game, only emphasises how mediocre he was away from the subcontinent.

yeesh which cricket players do u like?

 

[bryce]

the fact that the only other good knock that you could think off in aravinda's entire career away from the sub continent,was in a county game, only emphasises how mediocre he was away from the subcontinent.

his highest test score of 267 was scored in NZ - it was a bit more than a 'good knock' too

 

[dinu23]

yeesh which cricket players do u like?

 

[SJS]

yeesh which cricket players do u like?

Read my signature

 

[dinu23]

the fact that the only other good knock that you could think off in aravinda's entire career away from the sub continent,was in a county game, only emphasises how mediocre he was away from the subcontinent.

I was in a hurry! U want stats! check this out.

PA de Silva - Tests - Career summary
at the opposition's home

Mat Runs HS BatAv 100 50​

v Australia 6 425 167 38.63 1 2
v England 7 455 152 37.91 1 1
v New Zealand 7 595 267 45.76 2 2
v South Africa 3 183 77 30.50 0 1
v West Indies 2 160 78 40.00 0 1

 

[Richard]

the fact that the only other good knock that you could think off in aravinda's entire career away from the sub continent,was in a county game, only emphasises how mediocre he was away from the subcontinent.

He most certainly was not mediocre, averaging 38.63 in Australia, 45.76 in New Zealand, 37.91 in England and 40 in West Indies.
He wasn't as brilliant as he often was at home (where he averaged 52.22, as well as 38.82 in Pakistan and - surprisingly - just 25.18 in India), no, but he certainly wasn't mediocre, not in a Jayawardene way.

 

[Richard]

this thread really emphasizes how loosely the word ' great' is used. with regard to SL's best ever batsman, id put ranatunga ahead, but i think sangakkara will overtake them both by the end of his career.

I don't disagree for a minute about Sangakkara, but I'd be interested to know how the hell Ranatunga could be considered better than Aravinda.

 

[Richard]

What comes to mind when u think of Aravinda?
His super pulls and hooks, smashing cut shots.

Played off the back-foot better than anyone I've ever seen when hitting it well... quite a brilliant player, could do things most people only dream of.
If he were starting his career now I'd not bet against him averaging in the mid-50s in Test-cricket.