Crickdom

SRI LANKA

The Sri Lanka cricket team is a cricket team that plays for the national side of the country of Sri Lanka. The country has produced great sportsmen like Muthiah Muralidaran, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas and lots more. They has produced lots of exciting mystery spinners like Ajantha Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, and Akila Dhananjaya. The batters are gifted with the art of timing and very graceful.

Under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka’s national cricket team saw significant success in the 1990s. They went from being the underdog to winning the Cricket World Cup in 1996. Moreover, the team has remained a major player in international cricket ever since. The Sri Lankan cricket team had back-to-back appearances in the finals of the Cricket World Cups in 2007 and 2011. In the end, they came in second place on both occasions.

Sri Lanka won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2014 against India. They won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 with India as the co-champions. The final was abandoned due to rain. Hence the 2 teams shared the trophy. They won the Cricket World Cup in 1996 against Australia. They finished second in the ICC T20 World Cup in 2009 and 2012. Moreover, they finished second in back-to-back Cricket World Cups in 2007 and 2011. Several world records are now held by the Sri Lankan cricket team. This includes the record for the highest team total in a Test match.

Early days

The International Cricket Conference granted Sri Lanka Test cricket status in 1981. Moreover, on February 17, 1982, they faced off against England in their maiden Test at P. Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo. Sri Lanka won that game against England by 7 wickets. Bandula Warnapura was the captain of the side. became the eighth country to play in the format. They also triumphed in the 2001–2002 Asian Test Championship. They defeated Pakistan by innings and 175 runs in the final.

Arjuna Ranatunga led Sri Lanka to victory in their first international Test match against New Zealand on March 15, 1995. They won by a margin of 241 runs in Napier. Moreover, with this victory, they also won the first of their overseas Test series, 1-0. In their subsequent overseas series against Pakistan, Sri Lanka won the series. On June 16, 1979, Sri Lanka defeated India in an ODI match at Old Trafford, England.