If you ask a batter what gives them a sense of accomplishment, they would perhaps say scoring a big knock and remaining not out on the crease.
Now staying unbeaten is a bit easier in limited-overs cricket than in Test cricket. Why so?
You see, a Test inning may last longer than a complete limited-overs game. So batters may get tired in the process, losing their concentration and eventually their wicket.
But Aravinda de Silva did something extraordinary back in 1997. The Sri Lankan batter scored centuries while remaining not out in both innings of a Test.
Now you may wonder what’s special about this feat. The thing is, no other batter, in the history of 135 years of cricket, has remained unbeaten after scoring hundreds in both innings of a Test match, till date.
De Silva was the first batter to achieve this and, by far, remains the only one with this record. Added to this, he ended 1997 with a mighty average of 164.80 in home Test matches – a record which stand till date.
So, in this article, we’ll look at Aravinda de Silva’s unique unbeaten record in Test cricket.
Aravinda de Silva’s Unbeaten Twin Centuries
Aravinda de Silva created the record against Pakistan in the 1997 Colombo (SSC) Test. Sri Lanka were hosting Pakistan for a two-match Test series in their capital city.
Before the series kicked off, de Silva was going through a lean patch. His last century had come against the same opposition in September 1995. And he hadn’t crossed 35 runs in each of his last 15 innings. So to come out of the poor rut and smash back-to-back unbeaten centuries is a special achievement.Â
De Silva didn’t start the series well, falling for 23 runs in the first innings. But he staged a comeback at the R. Premadasa Stadium and scored 168 runs in the second essay to get back in the form.
The first Test ended in a draw. The series then moved to the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
Sri Lanka’s captain Arjuna Ranatunga won the toss and decided to bat first. The hosts got off to a decent start and were 124 for 2 when de Silva walked in.
But the right-hander lost three partners within a span of 20 runs. The Lankans were reeling at 144 for 5, with tail-enders to come in.Â
So de Silva had the task of taking Sri Lanka to a decent total. Then he stitched a 60-run stand with keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana.
He followed it with another partnership of 76 runs with Chaminda Vaas to take his side to 331. De Silva stayed not out on the score of 138, which included 19 fours.
Now Pakistan were out in the middle to bat. Sri Lankan pace duo Chaminda Vaas (4/60) and Sajeewa de Silva (5/85) wrapped up Pakistan for 292 runs.
As a result, Pakistan conceded a lead of 39 runs. And to top it off, they lost their first innings top-scorer Moin Khan and their two pacers, Mohammad Zahid and Shahid Nazir, to injuries.
Those blows meant Pakistan were two bowlers down as Sri Lanka came to bat again. So Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed had to carry the visitor’s bowling attack with longer spells.
The not-so-threatening bowling attack worked in Sri Lanka’s favour. Their openers contributed 157 runs for the first wicket.
When de Silva came to bat, Sri Lanka were in a healthy position at 171 for 2. He had a small partnership with Sanath Jayasuriya before building a 105-run stand with captain Ranatunga.
Sri Lanka then declared their second innings on 386 for 4 as de Silva raised his second hundred of the match. He remained not out on 103 runs off 99 balls.
It was towards the end of day four when Pakistan came out to chase the target of 426 runs. They did lose two wickets before the close of play, but Saleem Malik’s 155 led Pakistan to draw the match on the last day.
The match and the series turned out to be a rather dull affair. But it was de Silva who shone brighter, bagging the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards and, of course, the unique record.
Check: Most Man of the Match Awards in Test Cricket
