OTD: Sri Lanka legend Aravinda de Silva became first cricketer to win the Gold Award in Benson & Hedges Cup final

It was a picturesque batting by Sri Lanka legend Aravinda de Silva. On this day (July 15, 1995), during the final match of the Benson & Hedges Cup between Kent and Lancashire, Silva, at the Lord’s, exhibited his out-and-out brilliancy with the willow.

With his memorable century, the middle-order batter became the first cricketer to win a gold medal for a losing cause in the Benson and Hedges Cup final match. According to reports, the batting maestro was playing for Kent against Lancashire; Lancashire batting first won the match by 35 runs, and Silva made his place in the history book for his 112 off just 95 balls knock, including three sixes and 11 fours.

Both of the teams had multiple star players in their playing combination. Lancashire secured the service of Wasim Akram as one of their prime bowlers. In a classic London atmosphere, it was not an easy job for any batters to accomplish their job with ease. Chasing a target of 275 in a maximum 55-over contest, Kent faced a batting collapse. Without any significant partnerships, their batting unit put a total of 239 in 52.1 overs against Lancashire’s 274.

Match-winning century in 1996 World Cup final

Silva was the only solitary man for Kent to stand strong on the 22-yard pitch. During his gallant innings, the iconic subcontinent batsman hit three sixes and 11 fours. It was a pure example of when an individual’s performance became more significant than the result of the match.

Colombo-born Silva played a total of 93 matches for his country to claim twenty centuries and twenty-two 50s and scored a total of 6361 runs with a batting average of 42.97. His international career ended with the 2003 World Cup. During the 1996 World Cup final, he scored a match-winning century against Australia and secured the prestigious trophy for his nation.