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De Silva says he came back to prove a point
Johannesburg, Mar 09: Aravinda De Silva wanted to bow out of cricket with the status he deserved and says he only came back to prove his talent to the critics.
Johannesburg, Mar 09: Aravinda De Silva wanted to bow out of cricket with the status he deserved and says he only came back to prove his talent to the critics.
The veteran Sri Lankan has done it with an unmatched flair and a torrent of runs as he prepares for retirement after the World Cup. A big innings against India is in the offing.
Known in his younger days as Mad Max for his recklessness, De Silva became only the fifth batsman to score 1,000 career runs in world cups when he blazed 92 off 94 balls during Sri Lanka's loss to Australia.
The innings was reminiscent of his match-winning 107 not out in the 1996 World Cup final victory against Australia, which provided Sri Lanka its biggest sporting achievement. However, his form slumped and De Silva was fired in 2001 following doubts about his fitness. He returned after three seasons in the wilderness after losing weight, although he is still one of the chunkiest players in the team.
"I always knew that when I was left out I had a few years in me. So I just had to come out and prove that to everyone," said the 37-year-old right-hander. "So that really motivated me to do what I am doing now," he added.
He couldn't replace lost time, but he wanted to restore his reputation. "It's just that I missed three years ... Three peak years of mine, maybe due to selections. That made me work that much harder and try and come back and prove a point, which I wanted to do before I retired."
Bureau Report
The innings was reminiscent of his match-winning 107 not out in the 1996 World Cup final victory against Australia, which provided Sri Lanka its biggest sporting achievement. However, his form slumped and De Silva was fired in 2001 following doubts about his fitness. He returned after three seasons in the wilderness after losing weight, although he is still one of the chunkiest players in the team.
"I always knew that when I was left out I had a few years in me. So I just had to come out and prove that to everyone," said the 37-year-old right-hander. "So that really motivated me to do what I am doing now," he added.
He couldn't replace lost time, but he wanted to restore his reputation. "It's just that I missed three years ... Three peak years of mine, maybe due to selections. That made me work that much harder and try and come back and prove a point, which I wanted to do before I retired."
Bureau Report