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The Sri Lanka men’s national cricket team represents Sri Lanka in international cricket and is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). They hold the Test, ODI, and T20I status.

Nicknamed “The Lions,” Sri Lanka began playing first-class cricket as Ceylon in 1926-27. It became an associate ICC member in 1965 and made its debut in international setup during the 1975 Cricket World Cup. Meanwhile, the ICC awarded Test status to Sri Lanka in 1981, making them the eighth Test-playing nation.

The 1990s marked a golden era for Sri Lanka, as the team, led by Arjuna Ranatunga, won its first Cricket World Cup in 1996. Sri Lanka have reached the World Cup consecutive times in 2007 and 2011, finishing as runners-up both times.

Apart from the Cricket World Cup title, Sri Lanka have won the ICC Champions Trophy (2002, co-champions with India), and ICC T20 World Cup (2014). They were runners-up in the ICC T20 World Cups in 2009 and 2012.

The team, administered by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), holds several world records, including the highest team total in Test cricket 952/6 which they achieved against India at R Premadasa Cricket Stadium in Colombo in 1997. Meanwhile, their lowest team total in the Test was 71 versus Pakistan at Asgiriya in 1994.

History 

Early Years

Cricket was introduced in Sri Lanka by the British, with the first recorded match taking place in 1832, as documented in The Colombo Journal, according to Wikipedia. By the 1880s, the Ceylon national cricket team was formed and they had started first-class cricket by the 1920s. In 1965, the team acquired ICC’s Associate Member status. The team was renamed after the country’s new name in 1972 and made its debut in international cricket in the first Cricket World Cup in 1975. In their first match against the West Indies, they suffered a defeat before falling short against Australia and Pakistan, respectively.

Underdog Era

The Sri Lankan team earned Test cricket status by the International Cricket Conference (former name of ICC) in 1981. They are the eighth nation to achieve Test status. Sri Lanka played their first match in the longest format against England at P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo, on February 17, 1982. The team which was led by Bandula Warnapura lost by seven wickets.

They secured their first win in the red-ball format on September 6, 1985, defeating India by 149 runs at the same venue. The team was captained by Duleep Mendis and won the three-match series 1–0. Meanwhile, their next series victory came seven years later, in December 1992, against New Zealand (1–0 in a two-match series), followed by a one-wicket win against England in a one-match series.

On March 15, 1995, under Arjuna Ranatunga’s captaincy, they achieved their first overseas Test win against New Zealand, winning by 241 runs at Napier. They also won the series 1-0, marking their first overseas Test series victory. They showcased their prowess in another series, defeating Pakistan. In addition, Sri Lanka recorded their first ODI win against India at Old Trafford, England, on June 16, 1979.

Modern era

Sri Lanka emerged from underdog status to win the first ODI World Cup in 1996. They then became the co-champions of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and six-time Asian champions– 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014, and 2022.

Under Sanath Jayasuriya’s captaincy, Sri Lanka clinched their first Test match against Australia on September 11, 1999, defeating them by six wickets at Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy. The hosts eventually won the three-match Test series, 1–0.

Sri Lanka played their 100th Test against Pakistan on June 14, 2000, at SSC, Colombo, losing by five wickets. They played their 250th Test against Australia on August 4, 2016, in Galle, winning by 229 runs and claiming the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy for the first time since its inception.

On August 17, 2016, Sri Lanka achieved a historic 3-0 whitewash against Australia in Test cricket for the first time under Angelo Mathews’ captaincy. Prior to 2017, they had also whitewashed Zimbabwe thrice and Bangladesh once in Test matches.

On October 6, 2017, Sri Lanka played their first day-night Test against Pakistan, winning the match and sweeping the series 2–0. Sri Lanka played their first T20I match against England on June 15, 2006, winning by 2 runs. They clinched the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014, outplaying India.

As of July 2018, Sri Lanka have played against nine Test Teams, most often facing Pakistan. In ODIs, they played 816 matches, winning 376, and boast a strong record against England. In T20Is, they faced off 13 teams, achieving notable success against Australia and the West Indies.

In July 2021, Sri Lanka secured their first bilateral T20I series win against India. They have clinched the 2022 Asia Cup amid political unrest in the country and achieved their 100th Test win against Ireland on April 28, 2023.

On November 10, 2023, Sri Lanka Cricket faced a suspension by the ICC, due to alleged political interference till January 28, 2024. In August 2024, Sri Lanka clinched the ODI series against India 2-0, marking their first win since 1997.

Governing body

Sri Lanka Cricket (formerly known as Board for Cricket Control or BCCSL) is the governing body for cricket in Sri Lanka. SLC manages major domestic tournaments in the country, including the Premier Trophy (first-class), Premier Limited Overs Tournament (List A), and the Twenty20 Tournament. It also hosts the Inter-Provincial Cricket Tournament, which includes five teams representing various provinces. Aiming to promote cricket across the country, the Sri Lankan government implemented programs like the 2017–18 Super Four Provincial Tournament.

Sri Lanka Women’s Cricket Team

The Sri Lanka women’s national cricket team represents Sri Lanka in international women’s cricket, a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). This is one of ten teams competing in the ICC Women’s Championship.

The women’s team made their ODI debut in 1997 against the Netherlands and later in the year participated in the Cricket World Cup held in India. They have featured in every edition of the World Cup, with their best performance occurring during the 2013 edition, where they finished fifth in the group stage.

Sri Lanka have participated in all the World Twenty20 editions but have never progressed past the first round. They played their first and only Test match in April 1998, outplaying Pakistan.

History

1990s

Sri Lanka women’s team made their international debut in 1997 during a three-match ODI series against the Netherlands, losing 2–1. In the 1997 Cricket World Cup held in India, they advanced to the quarter-finals only to lose against England.

In 1998, Sri Lanka played against Pakistan at home, winning all three ODIs and their first Test match, which remains the only Test played by Sri Lanka’s women. In the following year, Sri Lanka hosted the Netherlands and won all five ODIs.

2000s

Sri Lanka did not enjoy a successful campaign in the 2000 World Cup, finishing sixth. In the same year, Sri Lanka hosted Pakistan and won all six ODIs. They again won all six ODIs in 2003 during an away series against the West Indies. In 2004, they hosted the inaugural Women’s Asia Cup (reduced to a series against India after the withdrawal of Pakistan) and lost. In the subsequent World Cup in 2005, Sri Lanka finished sixth again. In 2006, they featured in the Asia Cup in Pakistan, finishing as runners-up.

2010s

In an unfortunate event, allegations of sexual abuse by officials emerged in 2014, with players reportedly coerced into providing favors. During the 2013 Cricket World Cup, Sri Lanka defeated top-ranked England in a pool match. They later beat India and finished fifth in the point standings.

2020s

In 2021, Sri Lanka women’s team qualified for the 2022-25 ICC Women’s Championship. They secured their first-ever T20I series win against England in England, winning 2-1 in 2023. In 2024, Sri Lanka won the Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup, defeating India by eight wickets in the final at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.

Honours

Sri Lanka Men’s Cricket Team

ICC

• Cricket 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

Sri Lanka Women’s Cricket Team

Tournament history

World Cup 

• 1973 to 1993: Did not participate
• 1997: Quarter finals
• 2000: 6th place
• 2005: 6th place
• 2009: 8th place
• 2013: 5th place
• 2017: 7th place
• 2022: Did not qualify

T20 World Cup

• 2009: Group stage
• 2010: Group stage
• 2012: Group stage
• 2014: Group stage
• 2016: Group stage
• 2018: Group stage
• 2020: Group stage
• 2023: Group stage

Asia Cup

• 2004: Runners-up
• 2005–06: Runners-up
• 2006: Runners-up
• 2008: Runners-up
• 2012: Semifinals
• 2016: 3rd
• 2018: 4th
• 2022: Runners-up
• 2024: Champions

Asian Games 

• 2010: DNP
• 2014: Bronze
• 2022: Silver

Honours

ACC

• Women’s Asia Cup:
  • Champions (1): 2024
  • Runners-up (5): 2004, 2005–06, 2006, 2008, 2022

Others

• Asian Games
  • Silver Medal (1): 2022
  • Bronze Medal (1): 2014
• South Asian Games
  • Silver Medal (1): 2019