Career
He is a right-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler. Educated at the Panadura Royal College. Having set a steady record for his club Panadura, he captained the team and secured a good record including a 54 on his One Day International debut against Australia.
Since 1998 he has played List A cricket, and since 2004 Twenty20 cricket, with moderate success and steady averages.
He made his Test debut in New Zealand and had the worst possible start being dismissed for a pair just like his teammate Marvan Atapattu was a decade earlier. In the second innings he improved further, making a very aggressive unbeaten 152, hitting 20 fours and batting right through with the tail (most notably Chaminda Vaas, putting on 88 runs together) before running out of partners.
Silva scored his first One Day International hundred against India just 3 weeks before the World Cup. His success in the middle order has helped to give Sri Lanka a boost in their one day and test sides particularly after veteran middle order batsmen Russel Arnold announced his retirement at the end of the World Cup.
He has been compared with Aravinda de Silva due to his bow-legged stance.