Sri Lanka Cricket Team - All you need to know

Sri Lanka Cricket Team - History

Who introduced cricket to Sri Lanka is not up for speculation. As you could have guessed, it was the British. Cricket is said to have been played for the first time in Sri Lanka in the early 1800s, and the first game was officially documented in 1832. The Colombo Cricket Club was established in November of that year due to a request made shortly after by the Colombo Journal.

Here Are Some Highlights From Sri Lanka Cricket Team History.

• Sri Lanka played their first first-class match against the Marylebone Cricket Club in Colombo in 1926. The visiting team went on to win the game in straight innings.
• They won their first first-class match in India in 1932 over Patiala.
• The Australian Services cricket team was the first to tour Sri Lanka following World War II.
• The West Indies visited the nation in 1949 and played two first-class games. The visiting team won the first match, while the second was drawn.
• Pakistan also paid a visit later that year for two first-class matches. Pakistan won both matches easily, but Sri Lanka had a good batting performance in the second.
• From 1953 until 1976, Sri Lanka played a biannual first-class match against Madras (now named Tamil Nadu).
• In 1956, India returned to Colombo and played two first-class matches against Sri Lanka. Both matches resulted in a tie.
• From 1946 to 1975, Sri Lanka performed very well in other first-class matches with Pakistan, India, and West Indies.
• They participated in the 1975 ICC Cricket World Cup, their first major international competition. They comfortably defeated West Indies, Australia, and Pakistan in all three of their group games.
• They qualified for the 1979 Cricket World Cup, which was scheduled to be played later that year, by winning the ICC trophy in 1979.
• In 1985, Sri Lanka defeated India by 149 runs in Colombo to earn their first test victory.
• They defeated New Zealand in Napier in 1995, winning their first international test match and the series.
• They won the Asia Cup in 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014, and 2022 making them the second most successful team in this competition behind India.
• They also won the T20 World Cup for the first time in 2014.

Since former international cricket players like Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, and Kumar Sangakara no longer compete, it is obvious why they are not as competitive in the test arena today. As seen by their victory against England at the 2019 Cricket World Cup, they can still compete with the best in limited-overs cricket on their good days.

What Color is Worn By The Sri Lankan Cricket Team?

Like other Sri Lankan sports teams, the Sri Lankan national cricket team wears blue and yellow as its colors. In the Sri Lanka team jersey, the vivid blue signifies the surrounding ocean, while the golden yellow represents the unified island as a whole (depicting the sand).

Who Are The Best Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Players?

Dimuth Karunaratne

Dimuth Karunaratne is recognized as a second-innings specialist since he frequently scores more runs in the second innings of Test matches. He is the second Sri Lankan opener to hit three hundred in a single Test calendar year, the other being Tillakaratne Dilshan. Let us now examine his statistics.

Dimuth Karunaratne has scored 5,176 runs (12 centuries and 26 half-centuries) at an average of 38.62 in 72 test matches. In 34 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), he has scored 767 runs (6 half-centuries) at an average of 27.39. In 34 T20I appearances, he has scored 543 runs at an average of 16.96, with the best score of 80.

Angelo Matthews

Angelo Matthews debuted in 2008 and became the Sri Lanka captain in all three forms. He is categorized as an all-rounder, although he is more of a batter who can occasionally provide match-winning bursts. He has scored 6,236 runs (11 centuries and 36 half-centuries) at an average of 44.86 in 90 test matches. He has 33 wickets at a strike rate of 53.51. In 218 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), he has scored 5,835 runs (3 centuries and 40 half-centuries) at an average of 41.57. He has 120 wickets at an average of 33.35. (1 5-wicket haul). In 78 T20 matches, he has scored 1148 runs (with a top score of 81*) at an average of 25.51.

Kusal Mendis

Kusal Mendis made his debut for Sri Lanka in 2015, and the following year he was awarded the country's Batsman of the Year. He is a skilled right-handed batter who bats at number three and has a bright international future. He's only 24 years old, but he's already played 40 tests for his country. He has scored 3,022 runs (7 centuries and 11 half-centuries) at an average of 34.73 in these 47 matches. In 79 One-Day Internationals, he has scored 2,228 runs (2 centuries and 17 half-centuries) at an average of 30.10. He has played 29 T20 matches and scored 538 runs, averaging 18.55 (maximum score of 79).

How Has Sri Lanka Been Faring in International Cricket Recently?

Sri Lanka players began the year by losing two tests against England, the first by seven wickets and the second by six. They subsequently played three T20Is and three ODIS against the West Indies, losing the former 2-1 and the later 3-0. Following that, they played two tests against the West Indies, both of which ended in draws.

Then came two test matches and three one-day internationals against Bangladesh, in which they won 1-0 and lost 2-1. Following that, they played three T20Is and three ODIs against England, losing both by 2-0 margins. They subsequently lost an ODI series to India 2-1 before beating them 2-1 in a T20 series. They then defeated South Africa 2-1 in an ODI series before losing 3-0 in a three-match T20 series.

They are presently competing in the T20 World Cup and have no scheduled Sri Lanka upcoming cricket match till the end of the year.