Sri Lanka national cricket team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sri Lanka

Nickname(s)	The Lions
Association	Sri Lanka Cricket
Personnel
Test captain	Dhananjaya De Silva
One Day captain	Charith Asalanka
T20I captain	Charith Asalanka
Coach	Sanath Jayasuriya
History
Test status acquired	1981
International Cricket Council
ICC status	Associate Member (1965) Full Member (1981)
ICC region	Asia
ICC Rankings Current Best-ever Test 6th 2nd (August 2009) ODI 6th 2nd (October 1996) T20I 8th 1st (2012)
Tests
First Test	v  England at P. Sara Oval, Colombo; 17–21 February 1982
Last Test	v  New Zealand at Galle International Stadium, Galle; 26–29 September 2024
Tests Played Won/Lost Total 321 106/123 (92 draws) This year 8 6/2 (0 draws)
World Test Championship appearances	2 (first in 2021)
Best result	5th place (2023)
One Day Internationals
First ODI	v  West Indies at Old Trafford, Manchester; 7 June 1975
Last ODI	v  New Zealand at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele; 19 November 2024
ODIs Played Won/Lost Total 927 427/453 (6 ties, 41 no results) This year 18 12/3 (1 tie, 2 no results)
World Cup appearances	13 (first in 1975)
Best result	Champions (1996)
World Cup Qualifier appearances	2 (first in 1979)
Best result	Champions (1979, 2023)
Twenty20 Internationals
First T20I	v  England at The Rose Bowl, Southampton; 15 June 2006
Last T20I	v  New Zealand at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla; 10 November 2024
T20Is Played Won/Lost Total 200 89/104 (5 ties, 2 no results) This year 20 10/9 (1 tie, 0 no results)
T20 World Cup appearances	8 (first in 2007)
Best result	Champions (2014)
Test kit ODI kit T20I kit
As of 19 November 2024

The Sri Lanka men's national cricket team, (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජාතික ක්‍රිකට් කණ්ඩායම, romanized: Shri Lanka Jathika Crikat Kandayama; Tamil: இலங்கை தேசிய கிரிக்கெட் அணி) nicknamed The Lions, represents Sri Lanka in men's international cricket. It is a full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) status. The team first played first class cricket (as Ceylon) in 1926–27 and became an associate member of the ICC in 1965. They made their international debut in the 1975 Cricket World Cup and were later awarded the Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket-playing nation. The team is administered by Sri Lanka Cricket.

Sri Lanka's national cricket team achieved considerable success beginning in the 1990s, rising from underdog status to winning the Cricket World Cup in 1996, under the captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga. Since then, the team has continued to be a force in international cricket. The Sri Lankan cricket team reached the finals of the 2007 and 2011 Cricket World Cups consecutively. They ended up being runners-up on both occasions.

Sri Lanka won the Cricket World Cup in 1996 (vs Australia), the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 (co-champions with India), and the ICC T20 World Cup in 2014 (vs India). They have been consecutive runners-up in the 2007 and 2011 Cricket World Cups, and have been runners-up in the ICC T20 World Cup in 2009 and 2012. The Sri Lankan cricket team currently holds several world records, including the world record for the highest team total in Test cricket.

History

Early Years

Cricket was introduced to the island by the British as a result of the colonization and the first recorded match dates back to 1832 as reported in The Colombo Journal. By the 1880s a national team, the Ceylon national cricket team, was formed which began playing first-class cricket by the 1920s. The Ceylon national cricket team achieved Associate Member status of the International Cricket Council in 1965. Renamed Sri Lanka in 1972, the national team first competed in top-level international cricket in 1975, when they were defeated by nine wickets by the West Indies during the 1975 Cricket World Cup at Old Trafford, England.

Underdog Era

Sri Lanka was awarded Test cricket status in 1981 by the International Cricket Conference. They played their first Test match against England at P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo, on 17 February 1982. Bandula Warnapura was the captain for Sri Lanka in that match, which England won by 7 wickets. After Sri Lanka was awarded Test status on 21 July 1981 as eighth Test playing nation, they had to wait until 6 September 1985, where Sri Lanka recorded their first Test win by beating India, in the second match of the series by 149 runs at the Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo. They have also won the 2001-02 Asian Test Championship, defeating Pakistan in the final by an innings and 175 runs.

Sri Lanka won their first Test match under the leadership of Duleep Mendis on 11 September 1985 against India, winning by 149 runs at P. Saravanamuttu Stadium. Eventually they won the three-match Test series, 1–0. Sri Lanka had to wait more than seven years for their next series victory, which came against New Zealand in December 1992, when they won the two-match series 1–0. This was immediately followed by a one-wicket victory against England in a one-Test series.

Two years later, on 15 March 1995, Sri Lanka won their first overseas Test match under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga against New Zealand, when they beat them by 241 runs at Napier. This win also resulted in their first overseas Test series victory, 1–0. Their next series too was an overseas series, against Pakistan, and that one too resulted in Sri Lankan victory.

Sri Lanka registered their first ODI win against India at Old Trafford, England on 16 June 1979.

Modern era

After many years of underdog status, Sri Lanka finally entered the limelight of the cricketing world after winning the 1996 Cricket World Cup under the captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga. Meanwhile, they revolutionized modern day batting strategies by rapid scoring during the first 15 overs. Sri Lanka later became the co-champions in 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and also became six times Asian champions in 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014 and 2022.

On 11 September 1999, under the leadership of Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka won their first Test match against Australia, when they beat them by six wickets at Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy. Eventually they won the three-match Test series, 1–0.

On 14 June 2000, Sri Lanka played their 100th Test match. It was against Pakistan, at SSC, Colombo, under the leadership of Sanath Jayasuriya. Pakistan won by 5 wickets.

On 4 August 2016, they played their 250th Test match when they played Australia in Galle. They won the match by 229 runs, and also won the Warne-Muralidharan trophy for the first time since its inception. On 17 August 2016, under the leadership of Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka whitewashed Australia 3-0 for the first time in Test cricket. Until 2017, Sri Lanka had whitewashed Zimbabwe three times, Bangladesh once and Australia once in Test cricket.

Sri Lanka played their first day-night Test match on 6 October 2017 against Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Under the captaincy of Dinesh Chandimal, Sri Lanka convincingly won the match by 68 runs and sweep the series 2–0. In the match, Dimuth Karunaratne became the first Sri Lankan to score a fifty, a century and a 150 in a day-night Test. Lahiru Gamage, who debut in the match became the first Sri Lankan to take a wicket in a day-night Test, whereas Dilruwan Perera became the first Sri Lankan to take a five-wicket haul in a day-night Test.

Sri Lanka played their first Twenty20 International (T20I) match at the Rose Bowl, on 15 June 2006, against England, winning the match by 2 runs. In 2014, they won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, defeating India by 6 wickets.

As of July 2018, Sri Lanka have faced nine teams in Test cricket, only recent Test nations Afghanistan and Ireland are missing from their list of opponents, with their most frequent opponent being Pakistan, playing 55 matches against them. Sri Lanka has registered more wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh than any other team, with 14. In ODI matches, Sri Lanka have played against 17 teams; they have played against India most frequently, with a winning percentage of 39.49 in 149 matches. Within usual major ODI nations, Sri Lanka have defeated England on 34 occasions, which is their best record in ODIs. The team have competed against 13 countries in T20Is, and have played 15 matches against New Zealand. Sri Lanka have defeated Australia and West Indies 6 occasions each. Sri Lanka was the best T20I team in the world, where they ranked number one in more than 32 months, and reached World Twenty20 final in three times.

As of 29 January 2024, Sri Lanka have played 313 Test matches; they have won 100 matches, lost 121 matches, and 92 matches were drawn. As of 10 July 2018, Sri Lanka have played 816 ODI matches, winning 376 matches and losing 399; they also tied 5 matches, whilst 36 had no result. As of 10 July 2018, Sri Lanka have played 108 T20I matches and won 54 of them; 52 were lost and 1 tied and 1 no result match as well.

From 8 July 2017 to 23 October 2017, Sri Lanka lost twelve consecutive ODI matches, which is their second-longest losing run in ODIs. In the meantime, Sri Lanka involved 5-0 whitewash in three times against South Africa, India and Pakistan in 2017. And a 3-0 whitewash against the West Indies 3 years later (2020).

On 9 September 2019, Sri Lanka won the T20I series 3–0 against Pakistan in their home under Dasun Shanaka's captaincy. It was the first time that Sri Lanka whitewashed Pakistan in a T20I series. In July 2021, Sri Lanka won T20I series against India 2–1, recording their first ever bilateral T20I series win against India.

On 4 March 2022, Sri Lanka played their 300th Test match in Mohali against India. Sri Lanka lost the match by an innings and 222 runs. Amid political turmoil back home, Sri Lanka won the 2022 Asia Cup, defeating Pakistan in the final on 11 September 2022. On 28 April 2023, Sri Lanka won their 100th Test match against Ireland at Galle. They won the test series 2–0. They became the 8th test nation to reach this milestone.

Sri Lanka cricket was suspended, by the ICC on 10 November 2023 due to the alleged political interference with the cricket administration. The suspension was fully lifted on 28 January 2024.

Governing body

Sri Lanka Cricket (formerly the Board for Cricket Control or BCCSL), is the governing body for cricket in Sri Lanka. It operates the Sri Lankan cricket team and first-class cricket within Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Cricket oversees the progress and handling of the major domestic competitions: the First-class tournament Premier Trophy, the List A tournament Premier Limited Overs Tournament and the Twenty20 Tournament. Sri Lanka Cricket also organises and hosts the Inter-Provincial Cricket Tournament, a competition where five teams take part and represent four different provinces of Sri Lanka.

Most of the regions of Sri Lanka that are rural areas apart from the Capital could not produce successful cricketers to the national and international side yet due to the lack of resources and opportunities while only a few major areas such as Galle, Matara, Kandy, Kurunegala usually produce successful cricketers to the national and international side instead of the capital. So the government is trying to distribute the game within the whole country by organizing some programs such as 2017–18 Super Four Provincial Tournament.

International grounds

Stadium	City	Capacity	First used	Last used	Tests	ODIs	T20Is
Active stadiums
P. Sara Oval	Colombo	15,000	1982	2019	22	12	2
SSC ground	Colombo	10,000	1984	2024	47	65	2
R. Premadasa Stadium	Colombo	35,000	1986	2024	9	152	44
Galle International Stadium	Galle	35,000	1998	2024	44	9	0
Pallekele Cricket Stadium	Pallekele, Kandy	35,000	2010	2024	9	39	22
Rangiri Dambulla Stadium	Dambulla	16,800	2001	2024	0	58	6
Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium	Sooriyawewa, Hambantota	35,000	2011	2023	0	27	7
Former stadiums
Asgiriya Stadium	Kandy	10,000	1983	2007	21	6	0
CCC ground	Colombo	6,000	1983	1987	3	0	0
De Soysa Stadium	Moratuwa	16,000	1984	1993	4	6	0

Note: Except abandoned and cancelled matches.

• Updated 18 October 2024.

Team colours

Similar to other Sri Lankan sports teams, the Sri Lankan national cricket team bears blue and yellow as their colours. The bright blue represents the surrounding ocean, while the golden yellow represents the united island as a whole (depicting the sand).

In Test matches, the team wears cricket whites, with an optional sweater or sweater-vest with a dark blue and blue V-neck for use in cold weather, such as on Australia, England, and New Zealand tours. The Sri Lankan flag is found on the left side of the jersey's chest with the Test cap number usually below the flag; helmets are a deep blue and the fielder's hat (usually a baseball cap or a wide-brimmed sunhat) is coloured similarly. The sponsor's logo is displayed on the right side of the chest and the sleeve with the Sri Lankan Cricket logo is deployed on the left in test cricket.

Sri Lanka's One Day and Twenty 20 kits vary from year to year with the team wearing its bright blue colour in various shades from kit to kit with yellow stripes on shoulders and waist. Historically, Sri Lanka's kits have had shades of bright blue and golden yellow. In the World Series Cup in 1984–85, Sri Lanka wore yellow uniforms with blue stripes.

For official ICC tournaments such as ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC World Twenty20 and Asia Cup, "SRI LANKA" is written on the front of the jersey in place of the sponsor logo, with the sponsor logo being placed on the sleeve. A remarkable change in the colour of the kit of Sri Lanka can be found during the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 edition in South Africa. The team-coloured with pale silver and the kit has never been seen since then in the team. Since then, the Sri Lankan kit has never changed from the usual brilliant blue colour and very fine yellow stripes. For 2016 ICC World Twenty20, orange and green colours in the flag are also included in the jersey. In 2017 ICC Champions Trophy pool game against India, the kit changed to the mostly yellow coloured shirt with stripes of blue and usual blue trousers.

At the top-right side of the jersey, instead of the logo, there can be seen Sri Lanka's flag.

In 2019 for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, the Sri Lankan jersey was made from recycled plastic sea waste from the Sri Lankan coast. On the side of the blue background, there is a drawing of a turtle on the shirt. However, for non-ICC tournaments and bilateral and tri-nation matches, the sponsor logo features prominently on the front of the shirt.

Logo

Sri Lanka's cricket team's logo is a golden lion with a sword bearing on the right arm and the background is bright blue. The name "Sri Lanka Cricket" is written below the lion. It's seen on the practice jersey at the top-right side.

In Test cricket, the logo in the cap is slightly changed, where the lion with a sword is surrounded by petals of lotus and then a blue circle surrounds the crest and a yellow circle surrounds the blue circle, present in the coat of arms. This logo is seen on the front of the caps and helmets in ODIs and T20Is.

Tournament history

Key

	Champions
	Runners-up
	Semi-finals
	Quarter-finals

      Indicates tournaments hosted or co-hosted by Sri Lanka.

ICC World Test Championship

ICC World Test Championship record
Year	League stage										Final Host	Final	Final Position
	Pos	Matches					Ded	PC	Pts	PCT
		P	W	L	D	T
2019-21	7/9	12	2	6	4	0	0	720	200	27.8	Rose Bowl, England	DNQ	7th
2021-23	5/9	12	5	6	1	0	0	144	64	44.4	The Oval, England	DNQ	5th

Cricket World Cup

World Cup record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	T	NR
1975	Group Stage	7/8	3	0	3	0	0
1979		5/8	3	1	1	0	1
1983		7/8	6	1	5	0	0
1987		7/8	6	0	6	0	0
1992		8/9	8	2	5	0	1
1996	Champions	1/12	8	8	0	0	0
1999	Group stage	10/12	5	2	3	0	0
2003	Semi-finals	4/14	10	5	4	0	1
2007	Runners-up	2/16	11	8	3	0	0
2011	Runners-up	2/14	9	6	2	0	1
2015	Quarter-finals	7/14	8	4	3	0	1
2019	Group stage	6/10	9	3	4	0	2
2023	Group stage	9/10	9	2	7	0	0
Total	Champion (1996)	1 title	89	40	46	1	2

ICC T20 World Cup

World Twenty20 record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	T	NR
2007	Super 8s	6/12	5	3	2	0	0
2009	Runners-up	2/12	7	6	1	0	0
2010	Semi-finals	3/12	6	3	3	0	0
2012	Runners-up	2/12	7	5	2	0	0
2014	Champions	1/16	6	5	1	0	0
2016	Super 10s	8/16	4	1	3	0	0
2021	Super 12s	8/16	8	5	3	0	0
2022	Super 12s	7/16	8	4	4	0	0
2024	Qualified	TBD/20	0	0	0	0	0
2026	Qualified	TBD/20	0	0	0	0	0
Total	Champion (2014)	1 title	43	28	15	0	0

ICC Champions Trophy

Champions Trophy record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	T	NR
Bangladesh 1998	Semi-finals	3 or 4/9	2	1	1	0	0
Kenya 2000	Quarter-finals	5–8/8	2	1	1	0	0
Sri Lanka 2002	Champions	1/12	4	3	0	0	1
England 2004	Round 1	8/12	2	1	1	0	0
India 2006	Round 1	8/10	6	4	2	0	0
South Africa 2009	Round 1	6/8	3	1	2	0	0
England 2013	Semi-finals	3 or 4/8	4	2	2	0	0
England 2017	Round 1	6/8	3	1	2	0	0
Pakistan 2025	Did not qualify
Total	7/7	1 title	26	14	11	0	1

Asia Cup

Asia Cup record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	T	NR
United Arab Emirates 1984	Second place	2/3	2	1	1	0	0
Sri Lanka 1986	Champions	1/3	3	2	1	0	0
Bangladesh 1988	Runners-up	2/4	4	3	1	0	0
India 1990–91	Runners-up	2/3	3	2	1	0	0
United Arab Emirates 1995	Runners-up	2/4	4	2	2	0	0
Sri Lanka 1997	Champions	1/4	4	4	0	0	0
Bangladesh 2000	Runners-up	2/4	4	2	2	0	0
Sri Lanka 2004	Champions	1/6	6	4	2	0	0
Pakistan 2008	Champions	1/6	6	5	1	0	0
Sri Lanka 2010	Runners-up	2/4	4	3	1	0	0
Bangladesh 2012	Round 1	4/4	3	0	3	0	0
Bangladesh 2014	Champions	1/5	5	5	0	0	0
Bangladesh 2016	Round 1	4/5	4	1	3	0	0
United Arab Emirates 2018	Round 1	6/6	2	0	2	0	0
United Arab Emirates 2022	Champions	1/6	6	5	1	0	0
Sri Lanka/Pakistan 2023	Runners up	2/6	6	4	2	0	0
Total	16/16	6 titles	66	43	23	0	0

Other tournaments

Commonwealth Games record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	T	NR
Malaysia 1998	Fourth place	4/16	5	3	2	0	0
Total	1/1	0 Titles	5	3	2	0	0

Defunct tournaments

Asian Test Championship record
Year	Round	Position	GP	W	L	D	NR
India Sri Lanka Bangladesh Pakistan 1998–99	Runners-up	2/3	3	0	1	2	0
Sri Lanka Bangladesh Pakistan 2001–02	Champions	1/3	2	2	0	0	0
Total	2/2	1 title	5	2	1	2	0

Honours

ICC

• World Cup:
  • Champions (1): 1996
  • Runners-up (2): 2007, 2011
• T20 World Cup:
  • Champions (1): 2014
  • Runners-up (2): 2009, 2012
• Champions Trophy:
  • Champions (1): 2002

ACC

• Asia Cup:
  • Champions (6): 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2022
  • Runners-up (7): 1984, 1988, 1990–91, 1995, 2000, 2010, 2023
• Asian Test Championship:
  • Champions (1): 2001–02
  • Runners-up (1): 1998–99

Others

• Asian Games
  • Gold Medal (1): 2014
• South Asian Games
  • Silver Medal (2): 2010, 2019

Current squad

This is a list of active players who are centrally contracted with SLC or has played for Sri Lanka in the past 12 months or has been named in the recent Test, ODI or T20I squad. Uncapped players are listed in italics.

Last updated: 19 November 2024

Keys

Symbol	Meaning
C	Contracted Players
S/N	Shirt number of the player in all formats
Format	Denotes the particular format/s played over the last year, not entire career

Name	Age	Batting style	Bowling style	Domestic team	LPL team	Forms	C	S/N	Last Test	Last ODI	Last T20I	Captain
Batters
Shevon Daniel	20	Left-handed	N/A	SSC	Colombo	ODI	Y	11	N/A	2024	2023
Avishka Fernando	26	Right-handed	N/A	SSC	Jaffna	ODI	Y	28	N/A	2024	2024
Nuwanindu Fernando	25	Right-handed	Right-arm off break	SSC	Dambulla	ODI			N/A	2024	2023
Dimuth Karunaratne	36	Left-handed	Right-arm medium	SSC	Kandy	Test	Y	16	2024	2023	N/A
Pathum Nissanka	26	Right-handed	N/A	NCC	Jaffna	Test, ODI, T20I	Y	18	2024	2024	2024
Kusal Perera	34	Left-handed	N/A	Police	Dambulla	T20I	Y	55	2021	2023	2024
Bhanuka Rajapaksa	33	Left-handed	N/A	SSC	Galle	T20I		56	N/A	2021	2024
All-rounders
Sahan Arachchige	28	Left-handed	Right-arm off break	NCC	Galle	ODI	Y	43	N/A	2024	2023
Charith Asalanka	27	Left-handed	Right-arm off break	SSC	Jaffna	ODI, T20I	Y	72	2022	2024	2024	ODI (C), T20I (C)
Dhananjaya de Silva	33	Right-handed	Right-arm off break	CCC	Jaffna	Test	Y	75	2024	2023	2024	Test (C)
Wanindu Hasaranga	27	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break	CCC	Kandy	ODI, T20I	Y	49	2021	2024	2024
Dushan Hemantha	30	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break	Burgher	Dambulla	ODI	Y	34	N/A	2023	N/A
Chamika Karunaratne	28	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast	NCC	Colombo	N/A	Y	29	2019	2023	2023
Janith Liyanage	29	Right-handed	Right-arm fast-medium	Ragama	Galle	ODI	Y	67	N/A	2024	2022
Angelo Mathews	37	Right-handed	Right-arm medium	Colts	Kandy	Test	Y	69	2024	2023	2024
Kamindu Mendis	26	Left-handed	Ambidextrous off break	CCC	Kandy	Test, ODI, T20I	Y	21	2024	2024	2024
Ramesh Mendis	29	Right-handed	Right-arm off break	Moors	Kandy	Test	Y	25	2024	2022	2024
Dasun Shanaka	33	Right-handed	Right-arm medium	SSC	Kandy	T20I	Y	7	2021	2024	2024
Chamindu Wickramasinghe	22	Left-handed	Right-arm medium	SSC	Dambulla	T20I	N/A	22	N/A	2024	2024
Wicket-keepers
Dinesh Chandimal	35	Right-handed	N/A	Colts	Kandy	Test	Y	56	2024	2022	2022
Nishan Madushka	25	Right-handed	N/A	CCC	Jaffna	Test,ODI	Y	24	2024	2024	N/A
Kusal Mendis	29	Right-handed	N/A	SSC	Jaffna	Test, ODI, T20I	Y	13	2024	2024	2024	Test (VC)
Sadeera Samarawickrama	29	Right-handed	N/A	Moors	Colombo	Test, ODI	Y	23	2024	2024	2024
Spin Bowlers
Akila Dananjaya	31	Left-handed	Right-arm leg break	Colts	Dambulla	ODI	Y	4	2019	2024	2021
Prabath Jayasuriya	33	Right-handed	Slow left-arm orthodox	SSC	Galle	Test	Y	77	2024	2018	N/A
Nishan Peiris	27	Left-handed	Right-arm off break	Negombo	N/A	Test	N/A		2024	N/A	N/A
Maheesh Theekshana	24	Right-handed	Right-arm off break	Army	Galle	ODI, T20I	Y	61	2022	2024	2024
Jeffrey Vandersay	34	Right-handed	Right-arm leg break	Bloomfield	Galle	ODI	Y	46	2022	2024	2022
Dunith Wellalage	21	Left-handed	Slow left-arm orthodox	Colts	Colombo	ODI, T20I	Y	9	2022	2024	2024
Pace Bowlers
Dushmantha Chameera	32	Right-handed	Right-arm fast	NCC	Kandy	ODI ,T20I	Y	5	2021	2024	2024
Asitha Fernando	27	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast	CCC	Jaffna	Test, ODI, T20I	Y	78	2024	2024	2024
Binura Fernando	29	Right-handed	Left-arm medium-fast	Ragama	Colombo	T20I	Y	71	N/A	2021	2024
Vishwa Fernando	33	Right-handed	Left-arm medium-fast	CCC	N/A	Test	Y	68	2024	2019	2017
Lahiru Kumara	27	Left-handed	Right-arm fast	NCC	Galle	Test	Y	8	2024	2024	2023
Pramod Madushan	31	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast	SSC	Jaffna	ODI	Y	40	N/A	2024	2023
Dilshan Madushanka	24	Right-handed	Left-arm fast-medium	Colts	Dambulla	ODI, T20I	Y	98	2023	2024	2024
Matheesha Pathirana	22	Right-handed	Right-arm fast	NCC	Colombo	T20I	Y	81	N/A	2023	2024
Kasun Rajitha	31	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast	SSC	Kandy	Test	Y	65	2024	2023	2023
Milan Rathnayake	28	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast	Moors	N/A	Test	N/A	N/A	2024	N/A	N/A
Mohamed Shiraz	29	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast	Burgher	Galle	ODI	N/A	6	N/A	2024	N/A
Nuwan Thushara	30	Right-handed	Right-arm medium-fast	CCC	Dambulla	T20I	Y	53	N/A	N/A	2024

Niroshan Dickwella, Oshada Fernando, Lasith Embuldeniya & Praveen Jayawickrama are also contracted by Sri Lanka cricket, but have not played a match for Sri Lanka cricket in the last 12 months.

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Team Manager	Mahinda Halangode
Head coach cum Cricket consultant	Sanath Jayasuriya
Assistant coach	Thilina Kandamby
Spin bowling coach	Craig Howard
Fast bowling coach
Fielding coach	Upul Chandana
Physiotherapist	Jonathan Porter
Physical performance manager	vacant
Analyst	Shirantha Niroshana

Selection Committee

• Upul Tharanga (Chairman)
• Dilruwan Perera
• Tharanga Paranavithana
• Ajantha Mendis
• Indika de Saram

Source: Ada Derana

Coaching history

• 1995–1996: Dav Whatmore
• 1997–1998: Bruce Yardley
• 1998–1999: Roy Dias
• 1999–2003: Dav Whatmore
• 2003–2005: John Dyson
• 2005–2007: Tom Moody
• 2007–2011: Trevor Bayliss
• 2011: Stuart Law (interim)
• 2011: Rumesh Ratnayake (interim)
• 2011–2012: Geoff Marsh
• 2012–2013: Graham Ford 1st stint
• 2013–2014: Paul Farbrace
• 2014–2015: Marvan Atapattu
• 2015–2016: Jerome Jayaratne (interim)
• 2016–2017: Graham Ford 2nd stint
• 2017: Nic Pothas (interim)
• 2017–2019: Chandika Hathurusingha
• 2019–2021: Mickey Arthur
• 2022: Rumesh Ratnayake (interim)
• 2022–2024: Chris Silverwood
• 2024: Sanath Jayasuriya

Sponsorship

Current Sponsors & Partners

Team Sponsor	Dialog
Kit Sponsor	Moose Clothing Company
Partners	ITW Global Masuri The IPG Group Sunquick Sri Lanka
Official Broadcaster	Sony Pictures Networks

The period between 2000 and 2010 saw the sponsorship pass between Ceylon tea, Reebok, Mobitel Sri Lanka and Dialog Axiata; Dilmah has remained a sponsor since the early 2000s, replacing Singer, which was the main sponsor in the 1990s. Former manufacturers were Reebok, AJ Sports, Asics, ISC, and Adidas.

Currently, the main sponsors for Sri Lanka cricket are Dialog Axiata, JAT Holdings and MAS Holdings.

Period	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor		Team sponsor			Official Broadcaster		Internet streaming
1995–2000	MAS	Singer	CTC				Sky Sports	Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation
2000–2003	AJ Sports		Dilmah	WSG Nimbus			Taj Television
2004–2008	MAS	Dilmah	Pepsi	Caltex	SriLankan Airlines	Emerald	Ten Sports
2009–2010	Reebok	Dialog		National Development Bank				Carlton Sports Network
2010–2012		Mobitel					ESPN
2013-2014	Emerald	Homestead					Ten Sports
2014–2016	MAS	Dialog		Ceylon Tea				Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation
2017–2018		Huawei			Kent RO Systems	Huawei	Sony Sports Network		YouTube
2019 –2020		Dialog
2021–2022		AstroPay
2023–2027	Moose	FairPlay	Amul	Nippon Paint	Brandix	Red Bull		MTV Channel

Sponsorship for ICC Tournaments

Tournament	Kit Manufacturer	Sleeve Sponsor
1975 Cricket World Cup
1979 ICC Trophy
1979 Cricket World Cup
1983 Cricket World Cup
1987 Cricket World Cup
1992 Cricket World Cup	ISC
1996 Cricket World Cup		Singer
1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy
1999 Cricket World Cup	Asics
2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy
2002 ICC Champions Trophy	AJ Sports	Dilmah
2003 Cricket World Cup
2004 ICC Champions Trophy	Trendy
2006 ICC Champions Trophy	MAS
2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 ICC Men's T20 World Cup
2009 ICC Men's T20 World Cup	Reebok
2009 ICC Champions Trophy
2010 ICC Men's T20 World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
2012 ICC Men's T20 World Cup	MAS	Homestead
2013 ICC Champions Trophy
2014 ICC Men's T20 World Cup
2015 Cricket World Cup
2016 ICC Men's T20 World Cup		Confident Group
2017 ICC Champions Trophy		Dialog
2019 Cricket World Cup		Kent RO
2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup		AstroPay
2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup		Moose
2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier	Moose	Dialog
2023 Cricket World Cup		Amul
2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup

Records and statistics

International match summary

Format	Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	Drawn	No result	%Won	Inaugural match	Ref.
Test	321	106	123	0	92	–	33.02	17 February 1982
ODI	924	425	453	6	–	40	45.99	7 June 1975
T20I	198	88	103	5	–	2	43.87	15 June 2006

Updated: 18 October 2024

Test matches

Team records

• Highest team total: 952/6 dec. v. India at RPS, Colombo in 1997
• Lowest team total: 71 v. Pakistan at Asgiriya in 1994
• Sri Lanka holds the world record for the highest team score, 952/6

Individual records

• Most matches: 149 Tests – Mahela Jayawardene
• Longest-serving captain: 56 Tests – Arjuna Ranatunga

Batting records

• Most runs: 12,400 – Kumar Sangakkara
• Best average: 57.40 – Kumar Sangakkara
• Highest individual score: 374 – Mahela Jayawardene v. South Africa at SSC, Colombo in 2006
• Highest partnership: 624 – Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene v. South Africa at SSC, Colombo in 2006
• Most centuries: 38 – Kumar Sangakkara

Bowling records

• Most wickets: 795 – Muttiah Muralitharan
• Best average: 22.67 – Muttiah Muralitharan
• Best figures in an innings: 9/51 – Muttiah Muralitharan v. Zimbabwe at Asgiriya in 2002
• Best figures in a match: 16/220 – Muttiah Muralitharan v. England at The Oval in 1998
• Best strike rate: 51.5 – Lasith Malinga
• Best economy rate: 2.33 – Don Anurasiri

Fielding records

• Most catches by an outfielder: 205 – Mahela Jayawardene
• Most dismissals as wicketkeeper: 156 – Prasanna Jayawardene
• Most dismissals in an innings: 6 – Amal Silva v. India at SSC, Colombo in 1985 and Dinesh Chandimal v. Pakistan at PSS, Colombo in 2015
• Most dismissals in a match: 9 – Amal Silva v. India at SSC, Colombo & PSS, Colombo in 1985 and Prasanna Jayawardene v. Pakistan at Dubai in 2014

Record versus other nations

Opponent	Matches	Won	Lost	Draw	Tied	% Won	First	Last
Afghanistan	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&0100.00	2024	2024
Australia	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.&&&&&033	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.15000015.15	1983	2022
Bangladesh	&&&&&&&&&&&&&026.&&&&&026	&&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&076.92000076.92	2001	2024
England	&&&&&&&&&&&&&039.&&&&&039	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&7000023.07	1982	2024
India	&&&&&&&&&&&&&046.&&&&&046	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&022.&&&&&022	&&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.21000015.21	1982	2022
Ireland	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&0100.00	2023	2023
New Zealand	&&&&&&&&&&&&&040.&&&&&040	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&027.50000027.50	1983	2024
Pakistan	&&&&&&&&&&&&&058.&&&&&058	&&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017	&&&&&&&&&&&&&022.&&&&&022	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.31000029.31	1982	2023
South Africa	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.&3000029.03	1993	2021
West Indies	&&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&045.83000045.83	1993	2021
Zimbabwe	&&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020	&&&&&&&&&&&&&014.&&&&&014	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&070.&&&&&070.00	1994	2020
Total	321	106	123	92	0	33.02	1982	2024
Statistics are correct as of 2nd Test  Sri Lanka v  New Zealand at Galle International Stadium, Galle; 26–29 September 2024

One Day Internationals

ODI team records

• Highest team total: 443/9 (50 overs) v. Netherlands at VRA Cricket Ground in 2006
• Lowest team total: 43 (20.1 overs) v. South Africa at Boland Park in 2012

ODI individual records

• Most matches: 443 – Mahela Jayawardene
• Longest-serving captain: 193 matches – Arjuna Ranatunga

ODI batting records

• Most runs: 14,234 – Kumar Sangakkara
• Best average: 44.12 – Pathum Nissanka
• Best strike rate: 112.59 – Thisara Perera
• Highest individual score: 210* – Pathum Nissanka v. Afghanistan at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in 2024
• Highest partnership: 286* – Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga v. England at Headingley in 2006
• Most centuries: 28 – Sanath Jayasuriya
• Most Sixes: 268 – Sanath Jayasuriya

ODI bowling records

• Most wickets: 534 – Muttiah Muralitharan
• Best average: 21.87 – Ajantha Mendis
• Best figures in an innings: 8/19 – Chaminda Vaas v. Zimbabwe at Colombo (SSC) in 2001
• Best strike rate: 27.3 – Ajantha Mendis
• Best economy rate: 3.93 – Muttiah Muralitharan

ODI fielding records

• Most catches by an outfielder: 212 – Mahela Jayawardene
• Most dismissals as wicketkeeper: 473 – Kumar Sangakkara
• Most dismissals in a match: 5 – Guy de Alwis v. Australia at Colombo (PSS) in 1983; Hashan Tillakaratne v. Pakistan at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in 1990; Romesh Kaluwitharana v. Pakistan at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in 1995; Kumar Sangakkara v. Netherlands at Colombo (RPS) in 2002

ODI record versus other nations

Opponent	Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	No Result	% Won	First	Last
Full Members
Afghanistan	15	10	4	0	1	66.66	2014	2024
Australia	103	35	64	0	4	33.98	1975	2023
Bangladesh	57	43	12	0	2	75.43	1986	2024
England	79	37	38	1	3	46.83	1982	2023
India	171	59	99	2	11	34.50	1979	2024
Ireland	5	5	0	0	0	100.00	2007	2023
New Zealand	105	43	52	1	9	40.95	1979	2024
Pakistan	157	59	93	1	4	37.57	1975	2023
South Africa	81	33	46	1	1	40.74	1992	2023
West Indies	67	32	32	0	3	47.76	1975	2024
Zimbabwe	64	49	12	0	3	76.56	1992	2024
Associate Members
Bermuda	1	1	0	0	0	100	2007	2007
Canada	2	2	0	0	0	100	2003	2011
Kenya	6	5	1	0	0	83.33	1996	2011
Netherlands	6	6	0	0	0	100	2002	2023
Oman	1	1	0	0	0	100	2023	2023
Scotland	4	4	0	0	0	100	2011	2023
United Arab Emirates	3	3	0	0	0	100	2004	2023
Total	927	427	453	6	41	46.06	1975	2024
Statistics are correct as of  Sri Lanka v  New Zealand: 3rd ODI at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele; 19 November 2024

Twenty20 Internationals

T20I team records

• Highest team total: 260/6 v. Kenya at Johannesburg in 2007
• Lowest team total: 79 v. India at Visakhapatnam in 2016

T20I individual records

• Most matches: 99 – Dasun Shanaka†
• Longest-serving captain: 48 matches – Dasun Shanaka

T20I batting records

• Most runs: 1,889 – Tillakaratne Dilshan
• Best average: 31.77 – Mahela Jayawardene
• Best strike rate: 147.67 – Thisara Perera
• Highest individual score: 104* – Tillakaratne Dilshan v. Australia at Pallekele in 2011
• Highest partnership: 166 – Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara v. West Indies at Kensington Oval in 2010
• Most centuries: 1 – Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene
• Most Sixes: 74 – Kusal Mendis†

T20I bowling records

• Most wickets: 107 – Lasith Malinga
• Best average: 14.42 – Ajantha Mendis
• Best bowling: 6/8 – Ajantha Mendis v. Zimbabwe at Hambantota in 2012
• Best strike rate: 13.4 – Ajantha Mendis
• Best economy rate: 6.45 – Ajantha Mendis

T20I fielding records

• Most catches by an outfielder: 37 – Dasun Shanaka
• Most dismissals as wicketkeeper: 45 – Kumar Sangakkara
• Most dismissals in an innings: 4 – Dinesh Chandimal v. South Africa at Johannesburg in 2017

T20I record versus other nations

Opponent	Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	No Result	% Won	First	Last
Full Members
Afghanistan	8	5	3	0	0	62.50	2016	2024
Australia	26	10	15	1	0	38.46	2007	2022
Bangladesh	17	11	6	0	0	68.75	2007	2024
England	14	4	10	0	0	28.57	2006	2022
India	32	9	21	1	1	28.12	2009	2024
Ireland	3	3	0	0	0	100.00	2009	2022
New Zealand	25	8	14	2	1	32.00	2006	2024
Pakistan	23	10	13	0	0	43.47	2007	2022
South Africa	18	5	12	1	0	29.41	2012	2024
West Indies	18	10	8	0	0	55.00	2009	2024
Zimbabwe	6	5	1	0	0	83.33	2008	2024
Associate Members
Canada	1	1	0	0	0	100.00	2008	2008
Kenya	1	1	0	0	0	100.00	2007	2007
Namibia	2	1	1	0	0	50.00	2021	2022
Netherlands	4	4	0	0	0	100.00	2014	2024
United Arab Emirates	2	2	0	0	0	100.00	2016	2022
Total	200	89	104	5	2	44.50	2006	2024
Statistics are correct as of  Sri Lanka v  New Zealand: 2nd T20I at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla; 10 November 2024.

See also

In Spanish: Selección de críquet de Sri Lanka para niños

• Cricket in Sri Lanka
• Lanka Premier League
• Bangladesh–Sri Lanka cricket rivalry