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

The cricket games played between the New Zealand national cricket team and the Sri Lanka national cricket team define the perfect testimony that Test cricket can be an exhilarating contest. The teams are impeccably great and show their skills and talent on the field. The New Zealand national cricket team vs Sri Lanka national cricket team timeline has delivered quite exciting matches that draw the attention of the audience at grade level. Both of these teams have played numerous games and even registered different records while competing against each other. Sri Lanka has won the ODI World Cup once while New Zealand have never won it, yet they were the runner-up of the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. It has been encountered that whenever teams New Zealand and Sri Lanka come against each other then it always results in exciting gameplay. In this article, we have shared all the details related to the New Zealand national cricket team vs Sri Lanka national cricket team timeline, head-to-head records, etc. 

New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Timeline – Key Matches and Events

Some of the key movements in the New Zealand national cricket team vs Sri Lanka national cricket team timeline are:

1983 – First Test Series

In 1983, the Sri Lanka national cricket team played their first two-match test series against team New Zealand in February and March 1983. New Zealand won by the score of 2 – 0. This game was organized under the captaincy of New Zealand player Geoff Howard and St. Lankan prayer Soma Chandra de Silva. In this game, various prominent Sri Lankan cricket players have made their debut like RG de Alwis, Y Goonasekera, MD Wettimuny, and ERNS Fernando.

1984 – First Test Series

The Sri Lanka and New Zealand cricket team played their second Test series from 9th to 14th March in 1984 with a score of 100.1 overs and 79.5 overs under the captaincy of Geoff Howard and Jayantha Amerasinghe. New Zealand won this match with 165 runs. New Zealand even won the toss first and got the chance to bat first. 

1992 – World Cup Thriller

1992 was the great year of victory for Sri Lanka as they won the World Cup against Australia. They lost the opener at the score of 30 to win in 45 overs. The bet was won by Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga decided to let Australia to bet first. De Silva was known to be the man of the match as he bowled 10 overs by taking 3 wickets during the Australian innings. The captaincy of Arjuna Ranatunga has played a crucial role for the Sri Lankan team to achieve their first World Cup.

1995 – Sri Lanka’s Dominance in ODIs

In the 1995 ODI series, Sri Lanka showed their dominance in power over New Zealand by winning the game by 51 runs. From which 50 overs were made by Sri Lanka and 46.3 overs were made by New Zealand, writing the win for Sri Lanka. The player of the match was Sanath Jayasuriya who made 49 runs over 63 balls and defined his capabilities at the international level.

1997- 1st Test Series Win for Sri Lanka

In 1997, Sri Lanka won their first-ever test series against New Zealand in which Sri Lanka won by 36 runs and marked it in the books of winning. Behind the success of this game, the captaincy of Arjun Ranatunga has played a crucial role.

2001 –  Memorable Test Series in New Zealand 

The test series played by New Zealand against Sri Lanka in 2001 in the homeland of New Zealand was won by New Zealand with a score of 282/6. New Zealand had given a tough competition to Sri Lanka and made this game on their name with thirteen runs. The prime contribution behind the success of New Zealand was made by Nathan Astle and Chris Cairns.

 2007 – World Cup Semi Final Clash

The 2007 ICC World Cup was the 9th ODI cricket tournament that occurred in the West Indies from 13th March to 28th April 2007. In this match, New Zealand and Sri Lanka played against each other. Sri Lanka made their position by winning by 81 runs. However, the man of the match was Mahela Jayawardene who made 115 runs and secured the win.

2012 – Super Over Thriller in T20

The Super overs were quite thrilling as Sri Lanka prevailed over New Zealand. The match was tied with the score of 174/7. Lasith Malinga played a great game by defending 13 against Tim Southee and offered Sri Lanka their first super eights point. 

2015 – ICC Cricket World Cup Opener

During the ICC Cricket World Cup opener in 2015, New Zealand secured 1st place by a score of 331/6. The player of the match was Corey Anderson from New Zealand who secured 75 runs and gave 8 4s and 2 6s. The New Zealand win was quite evitable and the reason behind their dominant win. Trent Boult and Brendon McCullum have played a crucial role in the success of this game.

2018 – New Zealand’s Dominance in Test

In the test series of 2018, New Zealand secured a dominant win against Sri Lanka with a score of 2-0 and brought victory at home. The game was a success due to the double century made by Tom Latham.

2022 – World Test Championship Impact

World Test championships have a very crucial impact on the rivalry between New Zealand and Sri Lanka as it defines the team’s capability and power. In this game, New Zealand appeared to be more dominant in the longest format.

2023 – ODI Series Ahead of World Cup

Sri Lanka toured New Zealand for the 2023 ODI series in which New Zealand secured the win with a score of 141 – 1 While defining their strong and dominant ODI form. 

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Head-to-Head Records

Below we have provided a table summarizing the head-to-head statistics betweenNew Zealand national cricket team vs Sri Lanka national cricket team timeline in all the formats:

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Head to Head in ODI Matches

If we talk about the cricket formats then it is seen that New Zealand holds more superiority over Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, New Zealand is more dominant in T20 international and test matches. Together both the teams have played 108 ODI matches of which 54 were won by New Zealand  Wild West by Sri Lanka.

Total Matches Played between NZ and SL in ODIs: 108 Matches

Particulars	New Zealand	Sri Lanka
Span	1979 to 2025	1979 to 2025
Play	54	44
Lost	44	54
Tied	1	1
Draw	0	0
NR	9	9
%W	50.98	40.19
W/L	1.268	0.788
%D	0	0
%L	40.19	50.98 me

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Head to Head T20I Matches

New Zealand and Sri Lanka have played 28 T20 matches of which 16 were won by New Zealand meanwhile 11 were won by Sri Lanka.

Total Matches Played between NZ and SL in T20Is: 28 Matches

Particulars	New Zealand	Sri Lanka
Span	2006 – 2025	2006 – 2023
Won	16	11
Lost	11	16
Tied	0	0
Draw	0	0
NR	1	1
%L	30.43	56.52
%W	56.52	30.43
%D	0	0

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Head to Head Test Matches

In test matches between Team New Zealand and Sri Lanka, team New Zealand has the upper hand and they are much ahead in setting records as compared to Sri Lanka. Both the teams have been playing for over the decades and they have played 39 test matches against each other. Among these 10 was won by Sri Lanka and a team by New Zealand meanwhile 11 games were drawn.

Total Matches Played between NZ and SL in Tests: 39 Matches

Particulars	New Zealand	Sri Lanka
Span	1983 to 2025	1983 to 2025
Won	18	10
Lost	10	18
Draw	11	11
Tied	0	0
%D	28.94	28.94
%L	23.68	23.68
%W	47.36	23.68
W/L	2	0.5
NR	0	0

Recent Series Match Scorecard—Sri Lanka Tour of New Zealand, 2024-25

Conclusion 

The New Zealand national cricket team vs Sri Lanka national cricket team timeline  has always been interesting for the audience as they provide thrilling movements every time both teams face each other. The teams never fail to deliver the intense stress battles to their audience. As both teams are evolving gradually, it is seen that they are forever going to provide exciting encounters and clashes to cricket fans worldwide. In this article, we have shared all the necessary details related to the New Zealand and Sri Lanka cricket timeline.

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