New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Timeline

One of the most exciting duels of cricket is the rivalry between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, which over time has displayed fierce cricket competition and has given nail-biting performances which has managed to entertained and excited its fans. While New Zealand gained its Test status in 1930, Sri Lanka started late in 1981, in ODIs, New Zealand debuted in 1972, and Sri Lanka debuted in the 1975 Cricket World Cup.  

The initial matches between Sri Lanka and New Zealand concluded mostly either in favor of New Zealand or a draw, highlighting Sri Lanka’s struggle to establish consistent dominance in the competitive cricket landscape. This pattern reflected the challenges Sri Lankan players faced against their New Zealand counterparts’ formidable skills and strategies.

Since both sides have participated in a large number of series and tournaments over the years, the history of matches between the Sri Lankan and New Zealand national cricket teams is rather long. Here is an overview of some significant events in their cricketing history:

Recent Series: Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand, 2024-25, 3 ODIs , 3 T20Is . Dec 23 – Jan 11

Early Encounters (1980s – 1990)

The initial matches between Sri Lanka and New Zealand concluded mostly either in favor of New Zealand or a draw, highlighting Sri Lanka’s struggle to win against New Zealand. 

• 1979 Prudential World Cup: New Zealand and Sri Lanka faced each other in an ODI for the first time. New Zealand’s chase of 190 runs came easily with the half-centuries of Glenn Turner (83) and Geoff Howarth (63). New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 9 wickets. 

• 1983 New Zealand v Sri Lanka Test series: New Zealand won the first Test by an innings and 25 runs thanks to Jeremy Coney’s 84 and Warren Lees’s 89. They also clinched the second Test by 6 wickets.

• 1983 Prudential World Cup: The two teams encountered each other twice for the 10th and 18th matches. In the 10th match of the World Cup, Sri Lanka lost by 5 wickets. However, Sri Lanka took its revenge in the 18th match where it clinched the victory by 3 wickets, chasing a target of 182. 

• 1983-1984 Sri Lanka v New Zealand: New Zealand won the three-match series 2-0 on the 1983-84 tour of Sri Lanka. New Zealand won the first game, drew the second, and won the last game in Colombo. John Reid’s 180 runs alongside Richard Hadlee’s 10-wicket haul proved to be remarkable performances for New Zealand to claim the series.

• 1987-1988 Benson & Hedges World Series Cup: New Zealand played 4 matches in the series against Sri Lanka, and won 3 out of them, losing the third match to its opponent. John Wright, Richard Hadlee, Roshan Mahanama, Aravinda de Silva, Ewen Chatfield, and Ravi Ratnayeke are some of the notable players of the matches. 

Significant Advancement of The Lankan Lions Against the Kiwis (1990s to 2000)

• 1991-1992 Benson & Hedges World Cup: The two nations again met for a World Cup match, where New Zealand chased a target of 206 and won by 6 wickets despite Roshan Mahanama single-handedly scoring 80 runs for his side.

• 1992-1993 Sri Lanka v. New Zealand: The two-match Test series concluded 1-0 in  Sri Lanka’s favor. Roshan Mahanama and Hashan Tillakaratne emerged as “Man of the Match” respectively.

• 1994-1995 New Zealand v. Sri Lanka: The 3-match ODI series was won by New Zealand 2-1. The brilliance of the Black Caps was seen in the first and second matches. The Kiwis scored a 271-run target for the visitors, and managed to limit them to 238, thus winning by 33 runs. In the second match, the host won the game by 57 runs (D/L method). However, Sri Lanka retaliated in the third and final match, and won by 51 runs, thanks to Asanka Gurusinha (108) and Sanath Jayasuriya’s 39 runs and 3 wickets. 

• 1998-1999 Wills International Cup: It was the 2nd Quarter-Final of the tournament when Sri Lanka and New Zealand faced each other, and Sri Lanka knocked out the Kiwis. Limiting New Zealand to 188 with Muttiah Muralitharan taking 3 wickets, Sri Lanka scored 191, with skipper Arjuna Ranatunga scoring 90 runs. 

2000s: Close Competition Begins

• 2000-2001 New Zealand v Sri Lanka: The Lankan Lions visited New Zealand to play a 5-match ODI series, which resulted brilliantly in favor of Sri Lanka as they clinched the series 4-1. In all the matches, Sri Lanka clinched victory by a big margin, highlighting its growing prowess in the sport. Muttiah Muralitharan, Russel Arnold, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Nuwan Zoysa were key contributors to their victory.

• 2003 Cricket World Cup: In the group stage, Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by 47 runs, Sri Lanka scored 272 for 7, while limiting New Zealand’s total to 225. Sri Lankan skipper Jayasuriya delivered a match-winning all-round performance, scoring a blistering 120 alongside taking a crucial wicket. In response, Scott Styris, with 141 runs, was the only Kiwi who showed some resilience in the game.

• 2006-2007 New Zealand v Sri Lanka: The first T20I series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka was a tough battle between the two nations, as while Sri Lanka won the first game by 18 runs, New Zealand avenged their defeat by winning the 2nd match. Sanath Jayasuriya’s performance in the first match earned him the Man of the Match award. James Franklin took 3 crucial wickets that earned him Man of the Match in the second game.

• 2007-2008 ICC World Twenty20: The 11th match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 was between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, where Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets. A run chase of 165 came off easily with Sanath Jayasuriya’s massive performance of 61 runs off 44 balls. Skipper Mahela Jayawardene (35) and Upul Tharanga (37) also contributed to their win. 

• 2006-2007 ICC Champions Trophy: The 5th match of the ICC Champions Trophy was again won by Sri Lanka by 7 wickets. The Lankan Lions were capable of restricting the Kiwis’ total to 165, thanks to Muttiah Muralitharan’s 4 crucial wickets. Sanath Jayasuriya and Lasith Malinga also took 2 wickets each. Tharanga’s 56 off 77 balls and Jayawardene’s 48 off 73 helped the Lankan Lions to clinch the victory. 

• 2007 ICC World Cup: Sri Lanka won the match against New Zealand by 6 wickets due to fierce bowling attacks and exceptional batting.

• 2009-2010 ICC World Twenty20: Despite Mahela Jayawardene’s 81 runs, Sri Lanka could not defeat the New Zealand team, and the latter won by 2 wickets. 

• 2014-2015 ICC World Cup: The opening match of the tournament ended in favor of New Zealand, where they won by 98 runs. Their impressive batting performance of 331 runs Kiwis posed a tough run chase challenge to Sri Lanka, who were dismissed at 233. 

• 2019 ICC World Cup: The third match of the tournament is one of the significant matches in history where New Zealand won the match by 10 wickets. The Sri Lankan players were dismissed at 136 runs, due to Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson’s crucial 3 wickets each. Martin Guptill and Colin Munro’s partnership for 137 runs led their side to win. 

2020s: Recent Encounters

• 2022-2023 New Zealand v Sri Lanka: The two-match Test series ended with New Zealand leading 2-0. New Zealand won the 1st Test by 2 wickets and the second by an innings and 58 runs. Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Kusal Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson, and Henry Nicholls were key performers in the series. 

• 2022-2023 ICC T20 World Cup: New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 65 runs. 168- run chase proved mounting the Everest for Sri Lankan batters as the team managed 102 runs only. Trent Boult’s 4 wickets and Glen Phillips’ 104 runs contributed to their win. 

• 2024 Sri Lanka v New Zealand: The defeat of the two-match Test series in 2023 was avenged by Sri Lanka in 2024, where Sri Lanka won the first Test by 63 runs and the second by an innings and 154 runs. Kamindu Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Prabath Jayasuriya, William O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, and Nishan Peiris were crucial contributors to the series. 

Traditionally, in the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka cricket rivalry, the Kiwis have a slight edge over the Lankan Lions. However, this rivalry has produced some of the most thrilling matches in cricket history, and the same is expected from these two sides in the future. After having a gigantic dip in performances due to the retirement of their great players, the Sri Lankan cricket team is regaining its lost charm and performing brilliantly under their new coach, Sanath Jayasuriya. So, hopes are pretty high that cricket fans across the globe will once again witness the nail-biting encounters between these two cricket-loving nations.

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