Sri Lanka vs England ODI Series 2018 – Let’s talk Numbers

After a disappointing run in the Asia Cup, Sri Lanka will be hosting England in 5 ODIs, a T20 and 3 Tests. The ODI series will commence this week with the first game to be kicked off in Dambulla. Let’s take a closer look at the ODI records between these two sides.

When Sri Lanka brought England to their knees

Touring England, the country that gave birth to the great…

Since 1982

The first ever ODI between Sri Lanka and England was played a few days prior to Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test match, on the 13th of February, 1982 at the SSC. In a close encounter, the experienced England side won by 5 runs. Keith Fletcher’s outfit batted first and were dismissed for 211 in a 45 over game. England were sitting pretty on 191/3 when Ashantha de Mel unleashed some terrific swing bowling resulting in an eventual England collapse. Sri Lanka, on the other hand were grappling at 92/5 during pursuit and a subsequent Anura Ranasinghe – Ranjan Madugalle partnership was not enough to complete the task as Sri Lanka fell short by 5 runs.

Sri Lanka came back strong and recorded their first win over England on the following day during the 2nd ODI at SSC as Bandula Warnapura’s side edged out England by 3 runs.

Sri Lanka vs England Head to Head ODI record –

• Played – 69
• England – 33
• Sri Lanka – 34
• Tied – 1
• No result – 1

Recap of the last Decade

During the summer of 2006, Sri Lanka toured England and during the ODI series trounced the home team with a 5-0 whitewash. A year later, Sri Lanka hosted England and during this occasion, the visitors emerged victorious in the 5 match series beating the hosts 3-2.

Read: Sri Lanka seek limited overs reboot; England start as favourites

In 2011, England sealed the ODI series 3-2 when they hosted the Sri Lankans during the English summer. However three years later, the visitors reversed the record by winning the ODI series 3-2 in England. Later that year in 2014, the two sides met in a bilateral ODI affair. Sri Lanka, the hosts, won 5-2 in the 7 match ODI series. In 2016, England hosted Sri Lanka, where they defeated the visitors 3-0 in the 5-match ODI series that included two games, one without a result and other in a tie.  

In the Lion’s Den

Sri Lanka has hosted England in 21 ODIs since 1982

Sri Lanka vs England Head to Head ODI record in Sri Lanka –

• Played – 21
• Sri Lanka – 15
• England – 6

Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium

Sri Lanka’s overall ODI record at Dambulla –

• Played – 43
• Won – 25
• Lost – 16
• No result – 2

England have played 5 ODIs in Dambulla, winning 2 and losing 3. The last time they played Sri Lanka in Dambulla was in 2007.

Sri Lanka vs England ODI record at Dambulla –

• Played – 5
• Sri Lanka – 3
• England – 2

Pallekele International Cricket Stadium

Nestled in the misty hills, Pallekele has hosted 20 ODIs involving Sri Lanka since 2011. Sri Lanka have won 10 and lost 10 at the venue.

Sri Lanka’s overall ODI record at Pallekele –

• Played – 20
• Won – 10
• Lost – 10

England have played against Sri Lanka in 2 ODIs at Pallekele, both during their tour in 2014.

Sri Lanka vs England Head to Head ODI record at Pallekele –

• Played – 2
• Sri Lanka – 1
• England – 1

R. Premadasa Stadium

The ‘Mecca’ of the cricket-crazy nation, the iconic venue lies in the heart of Colombo amidst the hustle and bustle of the big city. On match day, the RPS comes to life with the boisterous reverberation of ‘papare bands’ and the ardent fans, not only eclipsing the sounds of the city, but also reflecting the unique identity of Sri Lankan cricket. Standing at fifth in the all-time list of most ODIs played on a single ground, the RPS has so far hosted 125 ODI games since its inauguration in 1986. In 1992 it became the first ever floodlit venue in Sri Lanka.

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Sri Lanka’s overall record at the RPS –

• Played – 107
• Won – 65
• Lost – 35
• No result – 7

Sri Lanka vs England ODI record at the RPS –

• Played – 9
• Sri Lanka – 8
• England – 1

First played in 1993, England have won only one ODI against Sri Lanka at the RPS, which was in 2007.

Team Records

• Highest team total – 333/9 (England at Taunton, 1983)
• Highest team total (for SL) – 324/2 (at Leeds, 2006)
• Lowest team total – 67 all out (Sri Lanka at Manchester, 2014)
• Lowest team total (for Eng) – 88 all out (at Dambulla, 2003)

Batting Records

• Most runs – Kumar Sangakkara (1625 runs in 41 innings) (Avg. 47.79)
• Most runs for England – Joe Root (825 runs in 17 innings) (Avg. 58.92)
• Most runs in Sri Lanka – Kumar Sangakkara (612 runs in 14 innings) (Avg. 47.07)
• Most runs for England (in SL) – Joe Root (367 runs in 7 innings) (Avg. 73.40)
• Highest individual score – Jason Roy (162 at The Oval, 2016)
• Highest individual score (for SL) – Sanath Jayasuriya (152 at Leeds, 2006)

Bowling Records

• Most wickets – Lasith Malinga (39 wickets in 25 innings) (Avg. 28.35)
• Most wickets for England – James Anderson (34 wickets in 24 innings) (Avg. 26.97)
• Most wickets in Sri Lanka – TM Dilshan (16 wickets in 12 innings) (Avg. 26.00)
• Most wickets for England (in SL) – Chris Woakes (14 wickets in 7 innings) (Avg. 25.28)
• Best bowling – Dilhara Fernando (6 for 27 at RPS, 2007)
• Best bowling (for Eng) – Chris Woakes (6 for 47 at Pallekele, 2014)