There are many great moments, intense matches, and mutual respect in the rivalry between the Sri Lanka and England cricket teams. They started playing cricket in 1982, with Sri Lanka emerging as a new power in the 1980s and 1990s, meanwhile, England has already established itself as one of the oldest and most seasoned teams. Legendary players from Sri Lanka have pushed England multiple times, resulting in memorable home and away games. This rivalry has witnessed upsets, comebacks, and overpowering performances in everything from exciting Test matches to dramatic World Cup confrontations. This chronology is unique not only because of the outcomes but also because of how both teams have developed, changed, and delighted supporters worldwide. England Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Timeline shows the significant and nail-biting moments of the rivalry that kept the fans on the edge of their seats.
1981 to 2000: Early Encounters:
- 1981-1982 Sri Lanka vs England- The first ODI match in Colombo, where England and Sri Lanka met for a tussle. England beat Sri Lanka, winning the match by 5 runs. Sri Lanka welcomed England to bat first, England scored 211 runs in 44.4 overs. However, in the second innings, Sri Lanka managed to score 206 runs in 45 overs but lost the match. England’s Graham Gooch (64 runs) and Ian Botham (60 runs) gave commendable performances in the game. Ian Botham was awarded the Man of the Match for his exceptional batting. In the 2nd match of the series, Sri Lanka took over the ground and won the match by 3 runs. Sidath Wettimuny scored a half-century with 86 runs in the battle.
- 1982 Sri Lanka vs England- It is the inaugural test match between the two teams. This match signifies Sri Lanka’s debut in test cricket after gaining test cricket status in 1982. However, England won the match by 7 wickets, but the Sri Lankan team gave a tough fight to their opponent by scoring 218 & 175.
- 1983 Prudential World Cup- In the 5th match of the Prudential World Cup, England secured a good win over Sri Lanka by 47 runs. England scored an unbeaten 333 runs in 60 overs. David Gower scored an incredible century with 130 runs. He was also awarded the Man of the Match for his outstanding batting skills. From the Sri Lankan team, Duleep Mendis and Guy De Alwis are the two key players who scored half-centuries in the game.
- In the 1991 England vs Sri Lanka 1st test match, England once again crushed Sri Lanka, winning the match by 137 runs. Elected to bat first, England scored 282 & 364/3 dec. While in the second inning, when Sri Lanka came onto the ground for batting, they only managed to score 224 & 285 and lost the match. Alec Stewart scored a century with 113 runs, and Rumesh Ratnayake from the Sri Lankan team scored a half-century with 52 runs in the match.
- 1991-1992 Benson & Hedges Series Cup- In the 23rd match of the Benson and Hedges World Cup held at Ballarat, once again, England beat the Lankan Lions by 106 runs. Neil Fairbrother scored 63 runs. However, Chris Lewis was awarded the Man of the Match title for scoring 20 runs in 6 balls.
- In the 1992-1993 Sri Lanka vs England ODI series, Sri Lanka won by 2-0. The Lankan Lions secured this big win after a long time. They defeated England on their home ground. Hashan Tillakaratne, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Aravinda de Silva are some of the key players from the Sri Lankan team who contributed to this victory of their team.
- In the 1998 England vs Sri Lanka series, the first test match of the season, Sri Lanka clinched a victory over England by 10 wickets. Sri Lanka secured its first-ever test victory on English Soil. Muttiah Muralitharan, a great bowler of the Sri Lankan team, took 16 wickets in 113.5 overs. He also won the Man of the Match title for his phenomenal bowling in the match. This victory was a turning point for the Sri Lankan team, leading to the more extended test series between the two nations.
- 1999 ICC World Cup- The Three Lions won the match by 8 wickets at Lord’s, London. In this match, England easily chased down the target of 207 runs in 46.5 overs. Graeme Hick scored unbeaten 73 runs off 88 balls and Alec Stewart 88 off 146 balls. Alec Stewart was awarded the Man of the Match for his exceptional performance.
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2001-2015: Era of Tough Clashes:
- In the 2000-2001 Sri Lanka vs England ODI series, the Lions took over the ground and won the 3 match ODI series by 3-0. Sri Lanka invited England and smashed the Three Lions on their home ground. Mahela Jayawardene (101 runs) and Romesh Kaluwitharana (102 runs) scored a century each in the 2000-2001 ODI series.
- In the 2002-2003 VB series, England dominated the series by winning 3-1. Nasser Hussain, Alec Stewart, and Nicholas Knight are some of the key players from the England team. Paul Collingwood scored a century in the 4th match of the series.
- 2003-2004 Sri Lanka vs England- In the 3rd match of the series held at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo on 18th December, 2003, Sri Lanka dominated England, winning the match by 215 runsand an innings. It is an iconic win for the Sri Lankan team, winning the match by such a big margin.
- 2004 ICC Champions Trophy- Three Lions beat the Lankan Lions by 49 runs (D/L Method) in the 10th match of the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy. Invited to bat first, England set the target of 252 runs in 50 overs for Sri Lanka. In the second innings, Sri Lanka managed to score only 95 runs in 24 overs and lost the match. Andrew Flintoff scored a century with 104 runs in 91 balls and won the Player of the Match award for his commendable batting.
- 2006 England vs Sri Lanka- Both the nations met for the first T20I match at Southampton, where Sri Lanka defeated England by 2 runs. It was a tough battle where, England failed to achieve the target set by the Sri Lankan team – 164 runs in 20 overs, and managed to score only 161/5 in 20 overs.
- 2007 ICC World Cup- In the 33rd Match of the tournament held at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua, the Lankan Lions once again defeated The Three Lions, winning the match by 2 runs. In this game, Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene were key contributors who helped their team to win the match. However, from England team, Kevin Pietersen and Ravi Bopara also scored a half-century.
- In the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy- In the 4th match of the 2009 Champions Trophy, England took over the ground and won the match by 6 wickets. Invited to bat first, Sri Lanka scored 212/10 runs in 47.3 overs, and England achieved the target of 213 runs in 45 overs and won the game by 6 wickets.
- 2011 England vs Sri Lanka- In the 1st T20I match of the series, Sri Lanka secured a win over England by 9 wickets at Bristol. Mahela Jayawardene played an important role in the match. As an opening batsman, he scored a half-century (72 runs) in 57 balls and also won the Man of the Match award for his phenomenal performance.
- 2013 ICC Champions Trophy- In the 8th match of the ICC Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka defeated England by 7 wickets. Kumar Sangakkara scored a century in the match (134 runs) in 135 balls and also won the Man of the Match title for his exceptional performance.
- 2014 England vs Sri Lanka- In the 2nd test match of the series, Sri Lanka clinched a big victory over England, winning the match by 100 runs. Sri Lanka defeated England on their home soil. It is a dramatic win for the Sri Lankan team in the second match of the test series.
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2016 to Recent Matches: Dominance of the England Team
- 2016 England vs Sri Lanka Test Series – England won the series 2-0. It is a 3-match test series in which Sri Lanka lost all the matches, and the 3rd match of the series ended with a draw. Alex Hales, Joe Root, Alastair Cook, and Chris Woakes are some of the key players from the Three Lions in the win of the series.
- 2019 ICC World Cup- In the 27th match of the 2019 World Cup, Sri Lanka defeated England by 20 runs. Elected to bat first, Sri Lanka set the target of 233 runs in 50 overs for England. When England came for the batting, they managed to score only 212 runs in 47 overs.
- 2021 ICC T20 World Cup- England secured a win by 26 runs in the 29th match of the tournament. Came to bat first, England set the target of 164 runs for their opponent. When Sri Lanka came for the batting, they managed to score only 137 runs in 19 overs and lost the match. Jos Buttler scored an exceptional century with 101 off 67 runs in the match and won the Player of the Match title.
- 2023 ICC World Cup – In the 25th match of the 2023 ICC World Cup, Sri Lanka once again secured a victory over England by 8 wickets at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Pathum Nissanka (77 runs) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (65 runs) scored an innings in the match. Lahiru Kumara took 3 wickets in 7 overs and won the Man of the Match title for his outstanding bowling.
