The Lions Are Sri Lanka’s men’s international cricket squad. Test, ODI, and T20I status makes it an ICC Full Member. Sri Lanka became the eighth Test cricket nation in 1981 after playing international cricket as Ceylon in 1926–27. Sri Lanka Cricket runs it. Under Arjuna Ranatunga’s captaincy, Sri Lanka’s cricket team went from underdog to World Cup champion in 1996. Since then, the team has dominated international cricket. Sri Lanka reached the 2007 and 2011 Cricket World Cup finals. They finished second twice.
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Sri Lanka won the 1996 Cricket World Cup (versus Australia), 2002 ICC Champions Trophy (co-champions with India), and 2014 ICC T20 World Cup (vs India). They finished second in the 2007 and 2011 Cricket World Cups and the 2009 and 2012 ICC T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka has multiple global records, including the highest Test cricket team total.
History:
Era of underdogs
The Colombo Journal said that the first cricket match on the island was played in 1832 after the British colonized it. The Ceylon national cricket team was created in the 1880s and played first-class cricket by the 1920s. The International Cricket Council granted Ceylon Associate Member membership. In 1975, the national team, renamed Sri Lanka in 1972, lost to the West Indies in the 1975 Cricket World Cup in Old Trafford, England.
The International Cricket Conference granted Sri Lanka Test status in 1981. On 17 February 1982, they played their debut Test against England at P. Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo. England triumphed by 7 wickets in that match, captained by Bandula Warnapura. Sri Lanka won their first Test match on 6 September 1985 at the Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo, beating India by 149 runs in the second match of the series. They defeated Pakistan by 175 runs in the 2001-02 Asian Test Championship final.
On 11 September 1985, Sri Lanka defeated India by 149 runs at P. Saravanamuttu Stadium in their maiden Test match under Duleep Mendis. They won 1–0. In December 1992, Sri Lanka won the two-match series 1–0 against New Zealand after more than seven years. A One-Test win against England followed. Two years later, on 15 March 1995, Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by 241 runs at Napier in their first overseas Test match under Arjuna Ranatunga. They won their first overseas Test series, 1–0. Sri Lanka won their next overseas series against Pakistan. Sri Lanka won their first ODI against India at Old Trafford on 16 June 1979.
Current era:
After winning the 1996 Cricket World Cup under Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka finally became a cricketing powerhouse. They changed modern batting methods by scoring quickly in the first 15 overs. The team Sri Lanka won six Asian titles—1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014, and 2022—and the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy. Sri Lanka won their first Test match against Australia by six wickets at Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy on 11 September 1999 under Sanath Jayasuriya. They won 1–0.
Sri Lanka played their 100th Test on June 14, 2000. Sanath Jayasuriya led it in SSC, Colombo, versus Pakistan. Pakistan won 5-wickets. They met Australia at Galle on August 4, 2016, their 250th Test match. They also won the Warne-Muralidharan trophy for the first time. Sri Lanka beat Australia 3-0 in Test cricket for the first time under Angelo Mathews on 17 August 2016.
Sri Lanka has swept Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and Australia in Test cricket before 2017. Pakistan and Sri Lanka played their first day-night Test match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 6 October 2017. Dinesh Chandimal led Sri Lanka to a 68-run win and a 2–0 series win. Dimuth Karunaratne became the first Sri Lankan to score 50, 100, and 150 in a day-night Test. Lahiru Gamage, who debuted in the match, became the first Sri Lankan to take a wicket in a day-night Test, while Dilruwan Perera took the first five-wicket haul. Sri Lanka defeated England 2–0 in their maiden Twenty20 International (T20I) match at the Rose Bowl on June 15, 2006. They defeated India 6 wickets in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20.
Regulating body:
Sri Lanka Cricket is in charge of cricket in Sri Lanka. It used to be called the Board for Cricket Control or BCCSL. It runs the Sri Lankan cricket team and Sri Lankan first-class cricket. Sri Lanka Cricket is in charge of the country’s three biggest tournaments: The Twenty20 Tournament, the First-Class Premier Trophy, and the List a Premier Limited Overs Tournament. Sri Lanka Cricket also plans and hosts the Inter-Provincial Cricket Tournament, in which five teams from four different parts of Sri Lanka compete.
Most rural areas of Sri Lanka outside of the capital, Colombo, haven’t been able to produce successful cricket players for the national and international teams yet because they lack the resources and opportunities to do so. Galle, Matara, Kandy, and Kurunegala are some of the major areas that do produce successful cricket players for the national and international teams. So the government is making program like the 2017–18 Super Four Provincial Tournament to get the game played all over the country.
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 | 2020 | 45 | 65 | 2 |
| R. Premadasa Stadium | Colombo | 40,000 | 1986 | 2022 | 9 | 140 | 38 |
| Galle International Stadium | Galle | 35,000 | 1998 | 2022 | 41 | 9 | 0 |
| Pallekele Cricket Stadium | Pallekele, Kandy | 35,000 | 2010 | 2022 | 9 | 31 | 22 |
| Rangiri Dambulla Stadium | Dambulla | 16,800 | 2001 | 2018 | 0 | 55 | 0 |
| Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium | Sooriyawewa, Hambantota | 35,000 | 2011 | 2020 | 0 | 21 | 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 |
Team colors:
The Sri Lankan national cricket team’s colors are blue and yellow, just like other Sri Lankan sports teams. The bright blue is for the ocean around the island, and the golden yellow is for the island as a whole (depicting the sand). In Test matches, the team wears cricket whites. A dark blue and blue V-neck sweater or sweater-vest can be worn if it’s cold, like on tours to Australia, England, and New Zealand. The Sri Lankan flag is on the left side of the jersey’s chest, and the Test cap number is usually below it. The helmets are a deep blue, and the fielder’s hat is usually a baseball cap or a wide-brimmed sunhat with a similar color. In test cricket, the logo of the sponsor is on the right side of the chest, and the logo of Sri Lankan Cricket is on the left sleeve.
Sri Lanka’s One Day and Twenty 20 kits change from year to year. The team wears bright blue in different shades, and yellow stripes on the shoulders and waist change from year to year. Sri Lanka’s kits have been bright blue and golden yellow in the past. The team Sri Lanka’s uniforms for the World Series Cup in 1984–85 were yellow with blue stripes.
For official ICC tournaments like the ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC World Twenty20, and Asia Cup, “SRI LANKA” is written on the front of the jersey instead of the sponsor logo, which is placed on the sleeve. During the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, there was a big change in the color of Sri Lanka’s uniform. The team’s colors were pale silver, and the team’s kit hasn’t been seen in the team since. Since then, the Sri Lankan team’s uniform has always been bright blue with very thin yellow stripes. For the 2016 ICC World Twenty20, the jersey also has the orange and green colors from the flag. In the pool game against India at the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, the uniform changed to a mostly yellow shirt with blue stripes and the usual blue pants.
The Sri Lankan team’s jersey for the 2019 Cricket World Cup was made from recycled plastic sea trash from the Sri Lankan coast. On the side of the shirt with the blue background, there is a picture of a turtle. But when it’s not an ICC tournament or a match between two or three countries, the sponsor logo is big and visible on the front of the shirt.
Logo:
The logo for Sri Lanka’s cricket team is a golden lion with a sword on its right arm and a bright blue background. Below the lion, the words “Sri Lanka Cricket” are written. In Test cricket, the logo on the cap is a little different. Instead of lotus petals, the lion with a sword is surrounded by a blue circle, and the blue circle is surrounded by a yellow circle.
Partnership:
Between 2000 and 2010, Ceylon tea, Reebok, Mobitel Sri Lanka, and Dialog Axiata took turns sponsoring the team. Dilmah has been a sponsor since the early 2000s, when it took over for Singer, which had been the main sponsor in the 1990s. Reebok, AJ Sports, Asics, ISC, and Adidas were all companies that used to make shoes.
| Current Sponsors & Partners | |
| Team Sponsor | Dialog |
| Kit Sponsor | MAS Holdings |
| Overseas Team Sponsor | FairPlay |
| Cricket Helmet Partner | Masuri |
| Beverages Partner | My Cola |
| Energy Drink Partner | Red Bull |
| Casual Clothing Sponsor | Moose Clothing Company |
| Formal Clothing Partner | Namal Balachandra Private Limited |
| Official Broadcaster | Sony Pictures Networks |
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| 1995–2000 | MAS | Singer |
| 2000–2003 | AJ Sports | |
| 2004–2008 | MAS | Dilmah |
| 2009–2010 | Reebok | Dialog |
| 2010–2012 | Mobitel | |
| 2013-2014 | Emerald | Homestead |
| 2014–2016 | MAS | Dialog |
| 2017–2018 | Huawei | |
| 2019 –2020 | Dialog | |
| 2021–2022 | AstroPay | |
| 2022– | FairPlay |
Cricket World Cup Record:
| World Cup record | ||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | L | T | NR | |
| 1975 | Round 1 | 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 | 1/8 | 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 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2019 | Group stage | 6/10 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2023 | Qualified | |||||||
| Total | Champion (1996) | 12/12 | 63 | 29 | 31 | 1 | 2 |
ICC T20 World Cup Records:
| 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 | Group Stage | 8/16 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Super 12s | 8/16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Qualified (First round) | |||||||
| Total | Champion (2014) | 1 title | 43 | 28 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
Asia Cup Record:
| 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 | |
| Pakistan 1993 | Not Held | |||||||
| 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 | |
| Total | 15/15 | 6 titles | 60 | 44 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
Current team:
This is a list of players who are centrally contracted with SLC, have played for Sri Lanka in the last 12 months, or have been named to the most recent Test, ODI, or T20I squad. Italics are used for players who don’t have a cap. Last changed on May 14, 2022.
| Name | Age | Batting style | Bowling style | Domestic team | Format | C/G | S/N | Last Test | Last ODI | Last T20I |
| Test Captain; Opening Batsman | ||||||||||
| Dimuth Karunaratne | 34 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | SSC | Test | A3 | 16 | 2022 | 2021 | — |
| ODI and T20I Captain; All-Rounder | ||||||||||
| Dasun Shanaka | 31 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | SSC | Test, ODI, T20I | B1 | 7 | 2021 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Test and ODI Vice Captain; All-Rounder | ||||||||||
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 31 | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | Tamil Union | Test, ODI, T20I | A1 | 75 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 |
| T20I Vice Captain; Middle-Order Batsmen | ||||||||||
| Charith Asalanka | 25 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | SSC | Test, ODI, T20I | 72 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 | |
| Opening Batsmen | ||||||||||
| Lahiru Thirimanne | 33 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | Ragama | Test | B3 | 66 | 2022 | 2019 | 2016 |
| Pathum Nissanka | 24 | Right-handed | — | NCC | Test, ODI, T20I | B3 | 18 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Avishka Fernando | 24 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Colts | ODI, T20I | 28 | — | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Middle-Order Batsmen | ||||||||||
| Bhanuka Rajapaksa | 30 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | Burgher | ODI, T20I | 54 | — | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Ashen Bandara | 24 | Left-handed | Right-arm leg-break | Police | ODI, T20I | D3 | 10 | — | 2021 | 2022 |
| Oshada Fernando | 30 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Ace Capital | Test | D1 | 80 | 2022 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Angelo Mathews | 35 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Colts | Test, ODI, T20I | A2 | 69 | 2022 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Wicket-Keepers | ||||||||||
| Niroshan Dickwella | 29 | Left-handed | — | NCC | Test, ODI, T20I | A1 | 48 | 2022 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Kusal Mendis | 26 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | SSC | Test, ODI, T20I | A3 | 13 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Dinesh Chandimal | 33 | Right-handed | Right-arm off-break | Army | Test, ODI, T20I | C2 | 56 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Minod Bhanuka | 27 | Left-handed | — | CCC | Test, ODI, T20I | 15 | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 | |
| Kusal Perera | 32 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | Police | Test, ODI, T20I | A2 | 55 | 2021 | 2021 | 2021 |
| All-Rounders | ||||||||||
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 25 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg-break | CCC | Test, ODI, T20I | B2 | 49 | 2021 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Ramesh Mendis | 27 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Moors | Test, ODI | D1 | 25 | 2022 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Kamindu Mendis | 24 | Left-handed | Ambidextrous off break | CCC | ODI, T20I | 21 | 2022 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| Chamika Karunaratne | 26 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | NCC | Test, ODI, T20I | 29 | 2019 | 2022 | 2022 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 19 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Colts | ODI | 1 | — | 2022 | — | |
| Pace Bowlers | ||||||||||
| Dushmantha Chameera | 30 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | NCC | Test, ODI, T20I | C1 | 5 | 2021 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Vishwa Fernando | 31 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | CCC | Test | C3 | 68 | 2022 | 2019 | 2017 |
| Lahiru Kumara | 25 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | NCC | Test, ODI, T20I | D2 | 8 | 2022 | 2019 | 2022 |
| Kasun Rajitha | 29 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Badureliya | Test, ODI, T20I | C1 | 65 | 2022 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Asitha Fernando | 25 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | CCC | Test, ODI | 78 | 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Binura Fernando | 27 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | SSC | ODI, T20I | 71 | — | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Nuwan Thushara | 28 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Badureliya | T20I | 53 | — | — | 2022 | |
| Chamika Gunasekara | 23 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | NCC | ODI | 6 | — | 2022 | — | |
| Pramod Madushan | 29 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Tamil Union | ODI, T20I | 40 | — | 2022 | 2022 | |
| Dilshan Madushanka | 22 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | Colts | T20I | 98 | — | — | 2022 | |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 20 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | NCC | T20I | 9 | — | — | 2022 | |
| Spin Bowlers | ||||||||||
| Lakshan Sandakan | 31 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm wrist-spin | CCC | Test, ODI, T20I | C2 | 85 | 2018 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Lasith Embuldeniya | 26 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | NCC | Test | B2 | 96 | 2022 | — | — |
| Praveen Jayawickrama | 24 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Moors | Test, ODI, T20I | 12 | 2022 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Akila Dananjaya | 29 | Left-handed | Right-arm off spin/Leg break | Colts | ODI, T20I | A2 | 4 | 2019 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 22 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Colts | Test, ODI, T20I | 61 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 | |
| Jeffrey Vandersay | 32 | Right-handed | Right-arm Leg break | Tamil Union | ODI, T20I | 46 | 2022 | 2022 | 2022 | |
| Prabath Jayasuriya | 31 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | SSC | Test | 77 | 2022 | 2018 | — |