Sri Lanka National Cricket Team
Sri Lanka National Cricket Team: Current Squad
Thisara Perera
All-rounder
TEST
ODI
T20I
№
1
Sri Lanka National Cricket Team: Facts and Records
Sri Lanka has the only school in the world that owns an international cricket stadium.
There have been a number of cricket playing legends from Sri Lanka. Two of the most famous players were Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya.
Sri Lanka has a cricket ground at a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Only team to win a World Cup after having been an Associate member
Sri Lanka is the youngest nation to have recorded Test victories against all Test teams
The 2nd oldest uninterupted cricket series is played in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka national cricket team – all about the team
The Sri Lanka national cricket team is a full member of the International Cricket Council, which allows the team to participate in international competitions such as One Day International, T20 International and, of course, Tests. By the way, the team has several world records on its account, which no one has managed to break yet. The governing body that controls the activities of the national team representing the country at tournaments is Sri Lanka Cricket. Let’s take a closer look at the history of the Sri Lankan team.
Sri Lanka national cricket team: a history of cricket development
Before we start talking about how cricket appeared in Sri Lanka, it is worth mentioning a little about how the country itself was formed in general. In 1505, the Portuguese captured the island, located in South Asia, and gave it the name “Ceylon”. After some time, the territory was colonized by the British, so in historical reference books, you can see that cricket began to develop in the state of Ceylon.
According to official sources, the first recorded cricket match was held in 1832, and in 1880, the first national cricket team of Ceylon appeared. Forty years later, in 1920, the national team began playing first-class cricket.
In 1965, the Ceylon national cricket team received the status of an associate member of the ICC, which allowed it to start participating in international competitions.
In 1972, the state was renamed, Sri Lanka. And in 1975, the Sri Lanka national cricket team made its first appearance at the Cricket World Cup, held in England at the Old Trafford stadium. However, the team did not play very well there, losing to the national team from the West Indies.
Since 1981, the Sri Lanka national cricket team has received the status of a full member of the International Cricket Council, which allowed it to start playing at Tests. By the way, at that time, it became the eighth participating country that started playing in the Tests. The first match was held in 1982 against a team from England, but Sri Lanka was defeated. The national team earned its first victory in tests three years later in 1985 in a match against India. However, they had to wait even longer for the second victory in the series: in 1992, the Sri Lankan cricket team beat the team from New Zealand. And this victory was the beginning of a stable and productive game of Sri Lanka.
The first foreign victories of the Sri Lankan national team:
- on June 16, 1979, the team won for the first time at the One Day International in England, when it played against the national team from India.
- on March 15, 1995, Sri Lanka won the first test match at Napier in a game against New Zealand.
In 2006, the Sri Lanka national cricket team made its debut at the Twenty20 International against the national team from England. The first match was very successful – Sri Lanka came out the winner.
The main achievements of the Sri Lanka national cricket team:
- In 1986, it became the Asian champion. The team repeated its success in 1997, 2004, 2008 and 2014.
- Won the Cricket World Cup in 1996.
- In the 2001-2002 season, it won the Asian Test Championship.
- Won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002.
- In 2007 and 2011, it took second place at the Cricket World Cup.
- In 2009 and 2012, it took second place at the ICC T20 World Cup.
- In 2014, it became the champion at the ICC T20 World Cup.
In 1975, the Board of Cricket for Sri Lanka was established on the territory of Sri Lanka to regulate professional cricket in the country. In 2003, it was renamed Sri Lanka Cricket.
Sri Lanka national cricket team: current squad, coaching staff
In total, there are 34 athletes in the reserve of the Sri Lanka national cricket team:
- Test captain playing in the position of opening batsman: Dimuth Karunaratne.
- Captain for One Day International and Twenty20, playing in the wicket-keeper position: Kusal Perera.
- Vice-captain for One Day International and Twenty20, playing in the wicket-keeper position: Kusal Mendis.
- Opening batsmen (3): Lahiru Thirimanne, Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando.
- Middle-order batsmen (4): Oshada Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Pathum Nissanka, Ashen Bandara.
- Wicket-keepers (3): Niroshan Dickwella, Dinesh Chandimal, Minod Bhanuka.
- All-rounder (7): Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Diruwan Perera, Wanidu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Kamindu Mendis.
- Fast bowlers (10): Isuru Udana, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajita, Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Chamika Karunarante.
- Spin bowlers (4): Lakshan Sandakan, Lasith Embuldeniya, Praveen Jayawickrama, Akila Danajaya.
The head coach of the national team is Mickey Arthur. Grant Flower trains the batsmen, while Piyal Wijetunge and Lasith Malinga train the bowlers. Shane McDermott is responsible for fielding.
| Shirt Number | Name | Cricket Formats | Notes |
| Batsmen | |||
| 31 | Dimuth Karunaratne | TEST ODI T20I | Captain (Test), Contract grade with SLC (A) |
| 66 | Lahiru Thirimanne | TEST | Contract grade with SLC (B) |
| 28 | Avishka Fernando | ODI T20I | |
| 80 | Oshada Fernando | TEST | Contract grade with SLC (D) |
| 18 | Pathum Nissanka | TEST ODI T20I | Contract grade with SLC (B) |
| 10 | Ashen Bandara | ODI T20I | Contract grade with SLC (D) |
| Bhanuka Rajapaksa | ODI T20I | ||
| Bowlers | |||
| 63 | Nuwan Pradeep | ODI | |
| 68 | Vishwa Fernando | TEST ODI T20I | Contract grade with SLC (C) |
| 82 | Suranga Lakmal | TEST | Contract grade with SLC (B) |
| 8 | Lahiru Kumara | TEST | Contract grade with SLC (D) |
| 65 | Kasun Rajitha | TEST ODI T20I | Contract grade with SLC (C) |
| 78 | Asitha Fernando | TEST ODI | |
| 5 | Dushmantha Chameera | TEST ODI T20I | Contract grade with SLC (C) |
| 71 | Binura Fernando | ODI | |
| 29 | Chamika Karunaratne | TEST ODI | |
| 85 | Lakshan Sandakan | TEST ODI T20I | Contract grade with SLC (C) |
| 96 | Lasith Embuldeniya | TEST | Contract grade with SLC (B) |
| 12 | Praveen Jayawickrama | TEST ODI | |
| 4 | Akila Dananjaya | ODI T20I | Contract grade with SLC (D) |
| Maheesh Theekshana | ODI | ||
| All-Rounders | |||
| 7 | Dasun Shanaka | TEST ODI T20I | Captain (ODI, T20I), Contract grade with SLC (B) |
| 75 | Dhananjaya de Silva | TEST ODI T20I | Vicce-captain (Test, ODI, T20I), Contract grade with SLC (A) |
| 69 | Angelo Mathews | TEST ODI T20I | Contract grade with SLC (A) |
| 47 | Dilruwan Perera | TEST | Contract grade with SLC (B) |
| 49 | Wanindu Hasaranga | TEST ODI T20I | Contract grade with SLC (B) |
| 25 | Ramesh Mendis | TEST ODI | Contract grade with SLC (D) |
| 84 | Kamindu Mendis | ODI T20I | |
| 72 | Charith Asalanka | ODI | |
| 77 | Dhananjaya Lakshan | ODI | |
| Wicket-Keepers | |||
| 55 | Kusal Perera | TEST ODI T20I | Contract grade with SLC (A) |
| 36 | Dinesh Chandimal | TEST ODI T20I | Contract grade with SLC (C) |
| 15 | Minod Bhanuka | TEST | |
| Coaches | |||
| Tom Moody | Director of Cricket | ||
| Mickey Arthur | Head Coach | ||
| Grant Flower | Batting coach | ||
| Piyal Wijetunge | Spin Bowling coach | ||
| Chaminda Vaas | Fast Bowling coach | ||
| Shane McDermott | Fielding coach | ||
| Manuja Kariyapperuma | Team Manager | ||
| Selectors | |||
| Pramodya Wickramasinghe | Chairman | ||
| Romesh Kaluwitharana | |||
| Hemantha Wickramaratne | |||
Sri Lanka national cricket team: stadiums, logo, uniform, nickname
The Sri Lanka national cricket team has seven stadiums throughout the country. For more information, see our table.
| Sri Lanka national cricket team: stadiums | |||
| City | Stadium names | Year of foundation | Capacity |
| Colombo
|
P.Sara Oval | 1982 | 15.000 spectators |
| SSC ground | 1984 | 10.000 spectators | |
| R. Premadasa Stadium | 1986 | 40.000 spectators | |
| Galle | Galle International Stadium | 1998 | 35.000 spectators |
| Pallekele | Pallekele Cricket Stadium | 2010 | 35.000 spectators |
| Dambulla | Rangiri Dambulla Stadium | 2001 | 30.000 spectators |
| Sooriyawewa | Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium | 2011 | 34.300 spectators |
The most common nickname of the Sri Lanka national cricket team is the lions. The name is closely related to the team’s corporate logo, which depicts a lion holding a sword on a dark blue background. At the same time, in test matches, the logo that should be depicted on the players’ hats looks a little different: there, an animal with a sword is surrounded by lotus petals and depicted in two circles of blue and gold color.
As for the uniform, the Sri Lankan national team wears a white suit at the Tests. Depending on the weather conditions, athletes can wear a blue V-neck sweater. The baseball cap is also decorated in dark blue tones. And for such matches as One Day International or T20, players wear a blue uniform, which can be decorated with a gold line running along the edges of the clothes.
The Sri Lanka national cricket team is currently sponsored by MAS Holdings, Dialog Axiata and Jat Holdings.
The Sri Lanka National Cricket Team is one of the strongest teams in the world, which is very interesting for fans to follow. We regularly publish cricket tips for betting, including for “The Lions”.
