The 1996 ODI World Cup winner, Sri Lanka, has a great legacy in the history of the game of cricket. They have always played well across formats. But the real dominance came in the years between 1995 and 2004. The world has seen many batting greats from this country over the years, who have dominated world cricket during their times.
Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, and Mahela Jayawardene are some of the greatest batsmen from this country, who took Sri Lankan cricket to new heights. Well, in this article, we will cover the highest individual scores for Sri Lanka in the history of the one day internationals.
List of Highest Individual ODI Score for Sri Lanka
| Player | Score | Balls | 4s | 6s | Against | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | 210* | 139 | 20 | 8 | AFG | Kandy | 9 Feb 2024 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 189 | 161 | 21 | 4 | India | Sharjah | 29 Oct 2000 |
| Upal Tharanga | 174* | 159 | 19 | 3 | India | Kingston | 2 Jul 2013 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 169 | 137 | 18 | 6 | South Africa | Colombo (RPS) | 20 Jul 2013 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | 161* | 146 | 22 | – | Bangladesh | Melbourne | 26 Feb 2015 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | 160* | 165 | 11 | 3 | India | Hobart | 28 Feb 2012 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | 160 | 124 | 20 | 3 | India | Rajkot | 15 Dec 2009 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 157 | 104 | 24 | 1 | Netherlands | Amstelveen | 4 Jul 2006 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 152 | 99 | 20 | 4 | England | Leeds | 1 Jul 2006 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 151* | 120 | 17 | 4 | India | Wankhede | 17 May 1997 |
| Aravinda de Silva | 145 | 115 | 14 | 5 | Kenya | Kandy | 6 Mar 1996 |
4. Kumar Sangakkara (169 runs) against South Africa at Colombo
Kumar Sangakkara is one of the finest batsmen in the world and he has many batting records in the game. He currently holds the 4th highest score for his country in ODIs. In the first game of the five-match series between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Colombo, the Proteas won the toss and decided to bowl first. Sri Lanka lost their first wicket early, but after that they had some useful partnerships. Sangakkara was keeping one end steady and was scoring runs.
The left-hander brought up his century and continued till he crossed the 150-run mark. Sri Lanka made 320/5 in their 50 overs and Sangakkara played a big innings of 169 runs off 137 balls with 18 fours and 6 maximums. In reply, South Africa went through a horrible start and got all out for just 140 runs. Thus, Sri Lanka won the match by 180 runs.
3. Upal Tharanga (174* runs) against India at Kingston
The match was the third in the tri-series between India, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. After winning the toss, India chose to bowl first. But the decision totally backfired on them. Both Sri Lankan openers brought up their respective centuries. Both added 213 runs for the first wicket. Mahela Jayawardene got out after scoring 107 runs, but Upal Tharanga kept scoring on the other end. The left-hander then added another unbeaten 135 runs for the second wicket with Angelo Mathews (22*).
Sri Lanka made 348/1 in their 50 overs. Tharanga remained not out through the innings and scored a big century in the end. He made 179* runs off 159 balls with 19 fours and three sixes. It was a huge target for India to chase and they had a horrible performance with the bat. India got all out for just 187 runs and lost the match by 161 runs.
2. Sanath Jayasuriya (189 runs) against India
The second highest individual score for Sri Lanka is registered under the name of former destructive opener Sanath Jayasuriya. It was the final of the 2000 Coca-Cola Champions Trophy between India and Sri Lanka. After winning the toss, Sri Lanka chose to bat first. The Sri Lankan team kept losing wickets at one end, but Jayasuriya was steady and scoring well. He had a 166-run partnership with Russel Arnold (52*) for the fifth wicket to help Sri Lanka reach 299/5 in their 50 overs.
But before getting out, Jayasuriya played the biggest knock by a Sri Lankan batter. He was unfortunate to miss out on a double century and made 189 runs off 161 balls with 21 fours and 4 sixes. In reply, India had a horrible performance and got all out for just 54 runs. Sri Lanka won the match by 245 runs and won the tournament.
1. Pathum Nissanka (210* runs) against Afghanistan (Sri Lanka’s highest score in ODI)
Pathum Nissanka broke 24 years old record and scored Highest Individual score for Sri Lanka batting first and also as an opener and also became first player from SL to score a double century in ODI. He achieved this feat against Afghanistan in 1st ODI match on 9th Feb 2024 and remained not out.