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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ravicham" data-source="post: 324357" data-attributes="member: 16538">Aravinda de Silva v India, Kolkata 1996Sri Lanka's famous World Cup victory is synonymous with their hammer-throwing openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, but the feather touch of Aravinda de Silva was arguably of even greater importance. In the semi-final against India, Sri Lanka were 1 for 2 in the first over after both openers were caught at third man; enter the third match-winner, de Silva, surely to consolidate. Not a bit of it. Asanka Gurusinha fell soon after, but de Silva breezed to an exquisite 32-ball 50, pinging boundary after boundary through the cover ring. It was pinch-stroking of the highest order, with 14 fours in a 47-ball 66. At the time it seemed like a glorious cameo; as the game progressed, and every other batsman laboured on a slow pitch, it became a minor epic. With defeat looming later in the day, India's fans settled the match by rioting. But it was the quiet riot of de Silva that really decided it.</blockquote>

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