Flashback: The only player to score 2 unbeaten tons in a Test

Sri Lanka legend Arvinda de Silva can be considered one of the most prolific batters to represent his country. The right-handed batter represented his country in 308 ODIs and 93 Test matches and amassed 9284 and 6361 runs respectively. The now 56-year-old played an exceptional role in Sri Lanka’s triumph in the 1996 Cricket World Cup where his unbeaten hundred and three wickets earned him the player of the match award in the final against mighty Australia.

However, De Silva also holds a record in the longest format of the game that has not been broken since 1997. To note, De Silva is the only player to have stroked two unbeaten hundreds in the same Test match. The veteran player stroked 138* and 105* against Pakistan at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club in April 1997.

Coming to the match, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to have a bat first. The home side managed to put 331 runs on the board in their first innings with Sanath Jayasuriya (72) and De Silva (138*) being the major contributors. In reply, Pakistan scored 292 runs thanks to their wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan who scored an excellent 98.

Sri Lanka in their second innings came out strong and posted 386/4 before declaring their innings. Jayasuriya (113), De Silva (105*), Russel Arnold (50), and Arjuna Ranatunga (66) punished Pakistani bowlers and gave a humongous total to the visitors for chasing.

However, Pakistani batters played with some caution and with the help of Saleem Malik (155), Ijaz Ahmed (47), and Inzamam-ul-Haq (54*) managed to play about 95 overs before the match ended in a draw. Sri Lanka senior player De Silva was adjudged player of the match for his excellent performance in both innings.