The woes continued for the Sri Lankan team in the Test series as hosts New Zealand whitewashed the visitors 2-0 heading to the ODIs.
However, the Lions will be eager to narrate a different story in the shorter format of the game despite their track record in New Zealand as they have been hunting for a series win for the last 15 years. This article, similar to the Test series, will take a closer look at the numbers between the two teams before heading to the 5-match ODI series.
Since 1979
The two sides met for the first time during the 1979 World Cup at Nottingham.Anura Tennekoon captained the minnows while Mark Burgess led the Kiwis. Debutants Roy Dias, D.S. De Silva, Sudath Pasqual and wicketkeeper Sunil Jayasinghe appeared in national colours for the first time. In this match, schoolboy cricketer from Royal College Sudath Pasqual became the youngest ever ODI player for Sri Lanka at the age of 17 years and 237 days. New Zealand comfortably won the game by 9 wickets.
The first win for Sri Lanka against New Zealand came in the following World Cup in 1983. The 3 wicket victory for Sri Lanka at Derby was also their second ever world cup match win having beaten India as minnows in 1979. Duleep Mendis led the Sri Lankan outfit.
Out of the 760 ODI games played by Sri Lanka, there have been 4 encounters that ended in a tie. The first ever tied ODI involving Sri Lanka happened in Sharjah against New Zealand in 1996. Chasing a modest target of 170, the Lankans were subdued at 169 in an exciting game. Danny Morrison, whose terrific spell that cropped 5 for 34 also saw him capturing the last two scalps when the scores were level in this thriller.
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Overall ODI record head to head –
· Played – 90
· Sri Lanka – 40
· New Zealand – 42
· Tied – 1
· No result – 7
Recap of the past decade
In 2005 Sri Lanka traveled to New Zealand and the 4-match ODI series was won 3-1 by New Zealand. The 2006/07 series in New Zealand saw a 2-2 draw while one game ended without a result.
In 2012, the Blackcaps visited Sri Lanka as the 4 match ODI series ended 3-0 to the hosts as one ended with no result. The last year’s 7 match series saw New Zealand dominating with a 4-2 victory.
Sri Lankan Tales in New Zealand
The first ever ODI between the two sides in New Zealand took place at Dunedin in 1983 which the hosts won by 65 runs. The first win for the Lions in New Zealand came in 1995 at Auckland. The victorious team was led by Arjuna Ranatunga while the 51-run win signaled the end of a 9 match winless drought in New Zealand.
Since their inaugural ODI in New Zealand at Dunedin in 1983, the Sri Lankans have played Blackcaps 35 times in New Zealand.
· Played – 35
· Sri Lanka – 11
· New Zealand – 22
· No Result – 2
Hagley Oval, Christchurch
New Zealand has played 2 ODIs at the venue and both were against Sri Lanka. The hosts have won both games.
Saxton Oval, Nelson
New Zealand has played 2 ODIs at Nelson, winning both. One win was registered against Sri Lanka.
Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Situated in the northern region Bay of Plenty, the Blackcaps have appeared 4 times at the Bay Oval winning 2 and losing 2. Sri Lanka is yet to play an ODI at the venue.
Batting Records
Most runs – Kumar Sangakkara (1568 runs in 45 innings) (Avg 40.20)
Most runs for NZ – Nathan Astle (760 runs in 27 innings) (Avg 29.23)
Most runs in New Zealand – Kumar Sangakkara (785 runs in 21 innings) (Avg41.31)
Highest individual score in an inning – Luke Ronchi (170* at Dunedin, 2015)
Bowling Records
Most wickets – M. Muralitharan (74 wickets in 40 innings) (Avg 17.94)
Most wickets for NZ – Kyle Mills (32 wickets in 21 innings) (Avg 21.96)
Most wickets in New Zealand – Chaminda Vaas (29 wickets in 14 innings) (Avg17.89)
Most wickets for New Zealand in NZ (vs SL) – Chris Harris (13 wickets in 11 innings) (Avg 28.0)
