The Sri Lankan cricket team, nicknamed The Lions, is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1982, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation. The team is administered by Sri Lanka Cricket. Angelo Mathews is the current captain of all formats of the game.
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. 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. But they ended up being runners up in both those occasions. The batting of Sanath Jayasuriya, Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan backed up by the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, among many other talented cricketers, has underpinned the successes of Sri Lankan cricket in the last two decades.
Current squad
Currently, Lasith Malinga is the captain of Sri Lanka T20 team while the other players of the team are Angelo Mathews, Uoul Tharanga, Lahiry Thirimanne, Jehan Mubarak, Kusal perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Jeevan Mendis, S Senanayake, T Dilshan, S Prasanna, D Prasad, N Kulasekara, R Herath and Ajantha Mendis. With this combination of young and experienced players, Sri Lanka has strong chances of retaining its T20 world cup title in T20 world cup 2016
The Srilanka Cricket ODI, Test, T20 Team List given below:-
T20 Captain: Dimuth Karunaratne
Coach: Graham Ford
Coach: Graham Ford
Name | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Forms | |
Angelo Mathews | Right-Handed | Right-Arm fast-medium | Test, ODI, T20I | |
Dimuth Karunaratne | Left-Handed | Right-Arm Medium | Test, ODI | |
Upul Tharanga | Left-Handed | Test, ODI | ||
Kaushal Silva | Right-Handed | Test | ||
Lahiru Thirimanne | Left-Handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Test, ODI | |
Chamara Kapugedera | Right-Handed | Right-arm medium | ODI, T20I | |
Dasun Shanaka | Right-Handed | Right-arm medium fast | Test, T20I | |
Danushka Gunathilaka | Left-Handed | Right-arm off-break | ODI, T20I | |
Asela Gunaratne | Right-Handed | Right-arm medium-fast | T20I | |
Kusal Perera | Left-Handed | Test, ODI, T20I | ||
Dinesh Chandimal (vc) | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Off-Break | Test, ODI, T20I | |
Kusal Mendis | Right-Handed | Test | ||
Thisara Perera | Left-Handed | Right-Arm Medium-Fast | ODI, T20I | |
Sachithra Senanayake | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Off-Break | ODI, T20I | |
Tillakaratne Dilshan | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Off-Break | ODI, T20I | |
Seekkuge Prasanna | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Leg-Break | ODI | |
Milinda Siriwardana | Left-Handed | Left-Arm Off-Break | Test, ODI, T20I | |
Dushmantha Chameera | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Fast | Test, ODI, T20I | |
Shaminda Eranga | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Fast-Medium | ODI | |
Dhammika Prasad | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Fast-Medium | Test, ODI | |
Suranga Lakmal | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Fast-Medium | Test, ODI | |
Nuwan Kulasekara | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Fast-Medium | ODI, T20I | |
Lasith Malinga | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Fast | ODI, T20I | |
Nuwan Pradeep | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Fast-Medium | Test, ODI | |
Isuru Udana | Right-Handed | Left-Arm Fast-Medium | ODI, T20I | |
Kasun Rajitha | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Fast-Medium | T20I | |
Dilhara Fernando | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Fast-Medium | Test, ODI, T20I | |
Rangana Herath | Left-Handed | Slow Left-Arm Orthodox | Test | |
Tharindu Kaushal | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Off-Break | Test, ODI | |
Jeffrey Vandersay | Right-Handed | Right-Arm Leg-Break | ODI, T20I |
Sri Lanka cricket | |
Test status acquired | 1982 |
First Test match | vs England at P. Sara Oval, Colombo, 17–21 February 1982 |
Current Captain | Angelo Mathews |
Coach | Graham Ford |
Current ICC Test,ODI and T20I ranking | 7th (Test) 6th (ODI) 8th (T20I) |
All-time best ICCTest, ODI and T20Iranking | 2nd (Test) 1st (ODI) 1st (T20I) |
Test matches – This year | 248 3 |
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 andfirst-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 theTwenty20 Tournament. Sri Lanka Cricket also organise and host the Inter-Provincial Cricket Tournament, a competition where five teams take part and represent four different provinces of Sri Lanka.
Right from the era of Mahadevan Sathasivam in the late 1940s, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) has always been a force to contend with. The MJ Gopalan Trophy, the annual fixture between Tamil Nadu and Ceylon, made sure that their big names made it to the mainstream Indian cricket media. Their big chance came after defeating India in the 1979 World Cup; within three years they played Test cricket.
It took them over a decade to win an overseas series - in New Zealand - but once that happened there was no stopping them. They bulldozed the other teams on their way to lifting the 1996 World Cup, and men like Sanath Jayasuriya redefined the concept of power-batting in the mid-1990s.
Sri Lanka went on to become one of the most formidable limited-overs champion sides, reaching the finals in back-to-back World Cup and World Twenty20 tournaments. There have been champions like Aravinda de Silva, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who have contributed to the success of the side, but the role played by Muttiah Muralitharan (arguably the finest off-spinner in history, and a person whose tally of wickets will possibly never be overtaken) in their history has been next to none.
It took them over a decade to win an overseas series - in New Zealand - but once that happened there was no stopping them. They bulldozed the other teams on their way to lifting the 1996 World Cup, and men like Sanath Jayasuriya redefined the concept of power-batting in the mid-1990s.
Sri Lanka went on to become one of the most formidable limited-overs champion sides, reaching the finals in back-to-back World Cup and World Twenty20 tournaments. There have been champions like Aravinda de Silva, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who have contributed to the success of the side, but the role played by Muttiah Muralitharan (arguably the finest off-spinner in history, and a person whose tally of wickets will possibly never be overtaken) in their history has been next to none.
Sri Lanka is a very strong Asian and international cricket team. So far, Sri Lanka has played 31 matches in the T20 world cups while it has participated in all the 5 ICC T20 world cups from 2007 to 2014. Out of these 31 matches, Sri Lanka won 21 matches and lost 9 matches while one match was tied. The winning percentage is 69.35% which is best for any team in the T20 world cup. Sri Lanka is the defending champion of the upcoming T20 world cup as it won the 2014 T20 cricket world cup by defeating India in the final match. Apart from that, Sri Lanka remained runner-up in the 2 and 4 T20 world cups, held in 2009 and 2012 respectively, while the team reached the semi final stage of the 3T20 world cup (2010).
History
History
Ceylon, as the country was known before 1972, played its first first-class match under that name against Marylebone Cricket Club at Nomads Ground, Victoria Park, Colombo in 1926–27, losing by an innings. The team's first win came against Patiala at Dhruve Pandove Stadium in 1932–33.
The Ceylonese side competed against Madras in the M. J. Gopalan Trophy games from the 1950s, through the change of name to Sri Lanka, well into the 1970s. Sri Lankan cricket team's One Day International debut came in the 1975 Cricket World Cup and their first One Day International win against a Test cricket playing nation came in the 1979 Cricket World Cup against India. Sri Lanka were later awardedTest cricket status in 1981, by the International Cricket Council.
Cricket began to develop in Sri Lanka once the process of British colonisation was completed in the early 1800s. The earliest reference to the game in Sri Lanka was reported in the "Colombo Journal" on 5 September 1832 which was when the formation of a cricket club was recorded. The Colombo cricket club was formed soon after in November 1832 and played its first cricket match against the 97th British Regiment. Although the domestic first-class system was set up in 1937-38 it was not until 1981 that Sri Lanka became the eighth Test playing country (playing its inaugural Test the following year in Colombo against England).
The Sri Lanka national cricket team began with the formation of the Colombo Cricket Club in 1832. 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 had 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 played against West Indies during 1975 Cricket World Cup; West Indies won the match by 9 wickets at the Old Trafford, Manchester, England.
After Sri Lanka awarded Test status in 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 thePaikiasothy 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 registered their first ODI win against India at Manchester, England, in 16 June 1979.They also won the 1996 Cricket World Cup,co-champions in 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and also became five times Asian champions in 1986, 1997,2004, 2008 and 2014.
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 January 2016, Sri Lanka have faced all nine teams in Test cricket, with their most frequent opponent being Pakistan, playing 51 matches against them.Sri Lanka have 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 Englandon 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 6 August 2016, Sri Lanka have played 250 Test matches; they have won 77 matches, lost 91 matches, and 80 matches were drawn.As of February 2016, Sri Lanka have played 765 ODI matches, winning 362 matches and losing 366; they also tied 4 matches, whilst 33 had no result.As of February 2016, Sri Lanka have played 73 T20I matches and won 43 of them; 28 were lost and 1 tied and 1 no result match as well.
International Competition
International Competition
After winning just four games out of 26 during the first five ICC Cricket World Cup tournaments, the next edition brought forth the most unlikely winner of a major international cricket tournament thus far. Sri Lanka's victory over Australia in the 1996 final was the climax to an outstanding competition for Arjuna Ranatunga's men. Sri Lanka has since reached the final twice, when Australia exacted its revenge in West Indies in 2007 and India lifted its first World Cup in 28 years in 2011. It was also joint-winners, with India, in the ICC Champions Trophy on home soil in 2002. Sri Lanka's participation in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 flattered to deceive as it was knocked out in the Super Eights. In subsequent editions, it lost twice after making it to the final (in 2009 and 2012), before finally winning its first title by overcoming India in 2014. Sri Lanka continues to be a tough nut to crack on the Test circuit - particularly at home.
Domestic Cricket
Domestic Cricket
A domestic first-class tournament began in 1937-38 as the Daily News Trophy and has since undergone five changes in name to reach its current guise of the Premier Trophy. Ten sides compete in each of two tiers, with Sinhalese SC historically the most successful team. The main one-day competition in Sri Lanka is the Premier Limited-Overs Tournament which began in 1988 and has existed under three different names. Finally, there is an Interprovincial Twenty20 tournament, contested between six teams.
All-time Great
It would be fruitless for any would-be cricketer to aspire to play the game like Muttiah Muralidaran - the Sri Lankan is inimitable. Nominally an off-spinner, the number of variations at his disposal make him difficult to define - which is why batsmen around the world continue to flail against the now veteran. "Murali" played his part in Sri Lanka's biggest team success - the 1996 World Cup - but his individual feats have largely eclipsed anything the side has achieved since. After tussling with Shane Warne for the title of leading Test wicket-taker, the Sri Lankan moved out in front, after the leg-spinner's retirement, to finish with 800 career wickets. Muralidaran then became the highest wicket-taker in ODIs as well when he went past Wasim Akram's record of 502 wickets in 2009. If that wasn't enough he was a worthy hitter down the order.
Test Cricket
Sri Lanka were awarded Test cricket status in 1981, by the International Cricket Council. They played their first Test match against England at P.Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo on 17 February 1982. B.Warnapura was the captain for Sri Lankain that watch, which England was victorious by 7 wickets.
Sri Lanka won its first Test match under the leadership of Duleep Mendis on 11 September 1985 against India, when they beat them by 149 runs atP.Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo.Eventually they won the three-match Test series, 1-0.Sri Lanka had to wait for more than 7 years for their next series victory, which came against New Zealand in December 1992. Sri Lanka won the two Test match series 1-0.This was immediately followed by a 1 wicket victory against England in a Test series containing a solitary Test match.
2 years later, on 15 March 1995, Sri Lanka won its 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.
On 14 June 2000, Sri Lanka played their 100th match against Pakistan on 14 June, 2000. They played this match at SSC, Colombo under the leadership of Sanath Jayasuriya. Pakistan won the watch 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.With that feat, Sri Lanka whitewashed Zimbabwe 2 times, Bangladesh single time and Australia single time in test cricket.
