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.
List of All Amazing Cricket Facts Articles
ACF 1: A Hat Trick in 3 Overs, 2 Innings, and 2 Days
ACF 2: Ashwin’s clean sweep against Australia in 2013
ACF 3: When Kapil Dev hit 4 Sixes in a row to avoid the follow-on!
ACF 4: Anil Kumble vs batsmen at nervous 90s
ACF 5: Mohammad Azharuddin holds the World Record of 3 Consecutive Centuries in First Three Tests
ACF 6: When Jasprit Bumrah scored 35 runs off Stuart Broad’s Over in a Test Match
ACF 7: Glenn McGrath Dismissed 104 Batsmen on a Duck in Tests
ACF 8: Glenn McGrath took Wickets on his Last Balls in Test and T20I
ACF 9: The Timeless Test – The Longest Cricket Match that lasted 12 Days
ACF 10: When Mohammad Sami Bowled the Longest Over in Cricket
ACF 11: When Bangladesh Lost 21 Consecutive Test Matches
ACF 12: When Kumar Sangakkara Scored Four Consecutive Centuries in ODI
ACF 13: When Don Bradman Scored 309 Runs in a Single Day of a Test Match
ACF 14: Graeme Smith Converted First 4 Test Centuries to 150+ Scores
ACF 15: When England Declared their Innings on 0/0!
ACF 16: Picking the First 50 ODI Wickets Within a Year of Debut
ACF-17: The Only 3 Players with a Double of 10000 and 500 Wickets in Cricket
ACF 18: When Pakistan Lost by an Innings After Scoring 500+ Runs
ACF 19: All-Rounders with More-than-one Centuries and Five-wicket Hauls at a Single Venue
ACF 20: India Scored 400-plus Totals in 6 Consecutive Test Innings
ACF 21: 4 Batters Who Scored 10000+ Test Runs in a Particular Batting Position
ACF 22: When Aravinda de Silva Scored 2 Unbeaten Centuries in a Test Match
ACF 23: When Vivian Richards became the fastest player to Score 2000 ODI Runs in Australia
ACF 24: Adam Gilchrist Scored All 16 ODI Centuries in Wins
ACF 25: Highest Partnerships by No. 10 and 11 Batters in Test Cricket
ACF 26: When Australia Won 15 Consecutive Matches in ICC Tournaments
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.
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.
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.
