Sri Lanka is one of the finest teams across formats, with all the major white-ball titles to their name. This Asian giant made their debut in the T20 format on June 15, 2006, with a game against England. They ended the 2009 and 2012 T20 World Cups as runners-up. It was in 2014 that Lasith Malinga led his country to their maiden T20 title.
They beat India in the final to become the champions of the 2016 T20 World Cup. Apart from that, Sri Lanka has found success in this format with the quality of the players they have. They also topped the T20I team ranking for the first time in 2012 with some consistent performances. We will talk here about some incredible achievements by the Islanders in the shorter format.
T20 World Cup wins: 2014
T20 World Cup runners-up: 2009 and 2012
1 | Most Runs in T20 for Sri Lanka |
2 | Highest Run Chase in T20 by SL |
3 | Sri Lanka Highest Score in T20 |
4 | Sri Lanka Lowest Score in T20 |
5 | Highest Individual Score in T20 For Sri Lanka |
6 | Sri Lanka Fastest 50 in T20 |
Sri Lanka’s record in T20 internationals (Team Records)
- Sri Lanka holds the record for the biggest T20I win in history. They beat Kenya in 2007 by a massive 172 runs.
- The 172-run victory over Kenya came in the 2007 T20 World Cup. It is also the highest win margin in the T20 World Cup.
- Sri Lanka holds the record for biggest T20I wins in terms of balls remaining for test-playing nations. They beat Netherlands in March 2014 with 90 balls to spare and chased down the target of 40 runs in five overs.
- Sri Lanka’s 260/6 against Kenya in 2007 is the third-biggest total in the T20 internationals.
- Sri Lanka also holds the record for the highest inning total in the T20 World Cup with their record of 260/6 against Kenya in the 2007 T20 World Cup.
- The Sri Lankan team also holds the record of dismissing the opposition in the shortest time for test-playing nation. They dismissed the Netherlands for 44 runs in 10 overs in October 2021.
- Sri Lanka holds the record for most fours in an inning. They smashed 30 fours when they made 260/6 against Kenya in the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka’s record in T20 internationals (Players Records)
- Dinesh Chandimal holds the record for the second-most T20I games without a duck in his career. He has played 61 innings without a duck, and if he can play five more innings, he will go past Marlon Samuels’ record of 65 innings.
- Angelo Matthews played 56 T20I innings before getting his first duck, which is the third-most in the shorter format of the game.
- Lasith Malinga was the first bowler to take 100 or more wickets in T20 internationals. He retired with 107 wickets in 84 games.
- Ajantha Mendis holds the record for the second-best bowling figure in a T20I game. He registered 6/8 in his four overs against Zimbabwe in September 2012.
- Ajantha Mendis is the only bowler in T20 internationals who has taken six-wicket hauls twice in his career. He has taken 6/8 against Zimbabwe and 6/18 against Australia in 2012 and 2011, respectively.
- Wanindu Hasaranga holds the record for the third-most T20I wickets (test-playing nations) in a calendar year. He took 36 wickets in 20 games in 2021.
- Lasith Malinga holds the record for the best bowling figure by a captain in T20Is. He took 5/6 in four overs against New Zealand in September 2019.
- Ajantha Mendis holds the record for the best bowling average (test-playing nation) of 14.42. He played 39 games and took 66 wickets.
- Mendis is also the fastest bowler to take 50 wickets. He took only 26 games to do so.
- Thisara Perera and Kusal Perera hold the record for the third-biggest 7th wicket partnership for 97 runs against Bangladesh in 2018.
Sri Lanka’s T20I Records vs other Teams
Sri Lanka has been a active side in the shorter format. That is why they have a better track record in T20 internationals. They have a decent winning percentage of over 45 in this form of the game. Let’s check their records against the test-playing nations below.
Oppoenet | Mts | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win % |
Afghanistan | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
Australia | 26 | 10 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 40.38 |
Bangladesh | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 69.23 |
England | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
India | 29 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 32.14 |
Ireland | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
New Zealand | 23 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 36.36 |
Pakistan | 23 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 43.47 |
South Africa | 17 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 33.37 |
West Indies | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
Zimbabwe | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |