Aravinda de Silva – fourth Sri Lankan in ICC Hall of Fame

Aravinda de Silva, probably the best batter produced by Sri Lanka in the history of cricket, became the fourth from the island nation to be inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame. The ICC inducted de Silva, India’s Virender Sehwag and Diana Edulji into the ICC Hall of Fame as the Class of 2023.

The ICC Hall of Fame honoured the greatest international cricketers throughout the long history of the sport, and the enduring legacies of de Silva, Edulji and Sehwag see them join as inductees number 110, 111 and 112 respectively.

De Silva enjoyed a 19-year international career for Sri Lanka, notably playing a starring role in their memorable run to victory at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 1996. As part of this year’s celebrations, the Class of 2023 were inducted in a special on-field ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai during the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on November 15.

“I am filled with profound gratitude as I accept the immense honour of being inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. This achievement is a tribute to the dedication, sacrifice, and love that have shaped my cricketing journey,” stated de Silva.

De Silva played 93 Tests for Sri Lanka, amassing 6,361 runs at an average of 42.97, while claiming wickets. In the 308 One Day Internationals he played, de Silva scored a total of 9,284 runs at an average of 34.90, and took 106 wickets.

De Silva made his Test debut at Lord’s in 1984, and scored 75 as Sri Lanka recorded the first Test win in their history a year later, defeating India at Colombo. He signed off from Test cricket in 2002 with a double century in his final innings and retired from all international cricket after the ICC

Men’s Cricket

World Cup in 2003.