WHY Aravinda would have Bill Clinton and Sampras to dinner

by Gareth A Davies

How much confidence did Sri Lanka take from their rearguard action against England at Lord's? The boys did a wonderful job to dig themselves out of a no-win situation. It will give them that much more confidence to go out and make this series a really good contest.

I think the fact that they were written off before the series started, and that they had a young side which came through a tough Test, looks good for the future. Admittedly, England's dropped catches let us off the hook, but I hope there is now enough confidence to play a more balanced side. Perhaps Lasith Malinga and Sanath Jayasuriya coming in could help. My theory would be to play their best possible side, but they may want to continue building this team.

Cricket in Colombo with the great West Indies side in the late Seventies. We had not attained Test status then, but some of my heroes were coming to my country. Viv Richards was my idol as a kid, and so too Malcolm Marshall and Andy Roberts. Most of the action was attacking and I think it got me to play in the same style.

Sports played: The first time I played competitive cricket was at school, as I played tennis-ball cricket at home. From the age of eight or nine I played with guys who were 15, 16. I had so much keenness, so much interest for the game. I also played a lot of tennis which helped my fitness, but I played other sports as well - snooker, table tennis, and rugby after school for fun.

Sports watched: Motor racing, especially F1. I'm a big Schumacher and Ferrari fan. Why a life in sport, and if not, what would you have done? It was a tough decision for me in 1984 whether to continue my studies, or play cricket.

I was picked by Sri Lanka for my first tour, to England, and I was sitting for my A-levels that year, and the exams were due at the same time. My father said to go on the tour, although my mother was concerned about it and wanted me to stay.

My dad, who was keen on sport - he was an athlete - encouraged me. For me, I saw that it was an opportunity I had to capitalise on. If I had not made it as a cricketer, I would probably have continued on with my economics and business studies, and would probably be in business or an accountant.

Toughest part of your sporting life: Playing international cricket is a tough job, really. It can feel glamorous, but it involves a lot of hard work, commitment, sacrifice and discipline. A huge amount of effort has to be put in if you want to reach the top.

I think one of the toughest things in Sri Lanka, with cricket being the No 1 national sport, is that expectations are high. With that, the focus of the sports and news media is mainly on the cricketers, and you do tend to lose your privacy.

Most memorable sporting moment: I'd say the World Cup semi-final and final in 1996. Scoring 66 in the semi-final against India at Calcutta, in the World Cup in 1996, with 110,000 people there, 100,000 locked outside, and an atmosphere of real pressure. In those circumstances, it was one of my most memorable knocks. Going on to score an unbeaten 107 in the final against Australia was obviously a great moment for us all in Sri Lanka.

Worst sporting moment: Losing the first Test against Australia in Colombo in 1992. We had the game in our hands, and it was disappointing. We scored 547 in our first innings, a lead of almost 300, and we needed 180 to win batting last, and we were bowled out. From 127 for two, we were all out for 164. Greg Matthews and Shane Warne shared seven wickets. That, and never winning a Test against Australia on their soil.

Sporting heroes: Viv Richards, Pete Sampras, Michael Schumacher.

Favourite grounds: Lord's, because it is the home of cricket and the character it brings when the ground is full. The MCG, which again is a wonderful stadium to play cricket, and in Sri Lanka, Colombo.

Sporting event you would pay the most to see: The Wimbledon final when Sampras won for the seventh time to break the Wimbledon record. I liked his nature, but also how committed he was, how focused, all with a great temperament. I named my son after him. In cricket, I'd like to go back to the Packer Series.

I might have said to go back and see WG Grace, but he was never "out". Perhaps to see him bat with neutral umpires.

... and to miss: Greyhound racing. It's a nightmare.

Best batsman/bowler faced: Wasim Akram and Richard Hadlee were the best quick bowlers I faced. Viv Richards was the best batsman. His all-round batting ability was astounding.

Greatest change you would like to see in the running of your sport: To have more communication between the players and administrators to make sure that cricket creates a clear pathway for several different careers in the sport. It is important that we do not lose people who have not made it to a professional level but whose hearts are in the sport.

Cricket is no longer just a sport, it is also a business. With that in mind, we must continue to develop all the variations of cricket - one-day, Test and Twenty20 cricket. Sporting motto: Go out there, give your best, enjoy it and be competitive with it. Enjoying and being competitive are the two key areas in any sport.

Who would you most like to invite to dinner? Pete Sampras and Michael Schumacher, because I would like to ask them about their success. Bill Clinton - I think he was a great politician and I admire him as a person. Nelson Mandela, another who I admire as a person, and someone from whom I could gather enough information about the whole world, given the amount of people he is in contact with.

Aravinda de Silva is commentating for Sky Sports' exclusive live coverage of England v Sri Lanka this summer.

Telegraph U.K.