Sri Lanka-West Indies cricket rivalry is about to renew as West Indies will face the Lankans in a limited overs series for the first time since 2016. Let’s take a closer look at the numbers between these two sides.
Since 1975
The mighty West Indians met Sri Lanka for the first time in an ODI in the inaugural Cricket World Cup in 1975, when they rolled over Sri Lanka for 86 and won the game by 9 wickets. The Lankans had to wait till 1989 to taste victory against the Windies in the Nehru Cup in Rajkot thanks to Asanka Gurusingha’s patient knock.
Interestingly, the two countries competed in a bilateral series after 18 years of their first meeting in 1993, where they shared honours 1-all in Sri Lanka.
Last time these two met, Sri Lanka had the upper hand in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in a thrilling contest at Chester-Le-Street as Avishka Fernando and Nicholas Pooran hit centuries.
Sri Lanka vs West Indies Head to Head ODI Record
- Played – 57
- Sri Lanka – 26
- West Indies – 28
- No results – 03
In T20Is, Sri Lanka boasts the higher win percentage though the sample size is much smaller than the ODIs. However, Sri Lanka have lost the most important fixture to be held between the two teams so far, the 2012 ICC World T20 final in front of the home crowd at the R Premadasa.
Sri Lanka vs West Indies Head to Head T20I Record
- Played – 9
- Sri Lanka – 6
- West Indies – 3
Read : Windies to tour Sri Lanka in February
Recap of the recent past – In ODIs
Sri Lanka has dominated West Indians in the last decade, winning most of the ODIs from 2010-2020 and reducing the gap in W/L record from the past. The two teams have contested in only 2 bilateral ODI series in the last decade and have mostly met in ICC tournaments and tri-nation series.
| Year | Host | Winner | Result |
| 2011 (ODI) | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | 2-0 (3) |
| 2015 (ODI) | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | 3-0 (3) |
Recap of the recent past – In T20Is
| Tournament | Winner |
| In ICC World Twenty20 – 2009 | Sri Lanka (2 Matches) |
| In ICC World Twenty20 – 2010 | Sri Lanka (1 Match) |
| In ICC World Twenty20 – 2012 | Sri Lanka (1 Match), West indies (1 Match) |
| In ICC World Twenty20 – 2014 | Sri Lanka (1 Match) |
| In Sri Lanka – 2015 | Drawn (1-1) |
| In ICC World Twenty20 – 2016 | West Indies (1 Match) |
Photos : Sri Lanka vs West Indies | ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 – Match 39
In Sri Lanka
Since the two teams’ first ODI in Sri Lanka in 1993, West Indies have played 14 ODIs in the country and managed to win only 3. Last time Windies played in Sri Lanka, they were humiliated 3-0 by Angelo Mathews and Co.
Sri Lanka vs West Indies Head to Head ODI record in Sri Lanka
- Played – 14
- Sri Lanka – 9
- West Indies – 3
- No Result – 2
Sri Lanka vs West Indies Head to Head T20I record in Sri Lanka
- Played – 4
- Sri Lanka – 2
- West Indies – 2
In SSC
The tour’s first ODI will take place at the Sinhalese Sports ground, Colombo as the ground hosts its 1st ODI since 2017 and 2nd since 2011. The Windies have played 7 ODIs at the ground including 4 against Sri Lanka while losing 2 of those 4.
West Indies’ overall ODI record at SSC
- Played – 7
- Won – 2
- Lost – 4
- No Results – 1
In Hambantota
The visitors are yet to play an international match at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota.
In Pallekele
The only ODI and T20I to be played in Pallekele ICS by the Windies, were won by the home side on both occasions by 19 runs and 30 runs respectively.
West Indies’ overall ODI record at Pallekele
- Played – 1
- Won – 0
- Lost – 1
West Indies’ overall T20I record at Pallekele
- Played – 1
- Won – 0
- Lost – 1
Team Records – ODIs
- Highest team total – 360/4 (WI at Karachi, 1987)
- Highest team total (for SL) – 338/6 (at Chester-le Street, 2019)
- Lowest team total – 55/10 (Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 1986)
- Lowest team total (for WI) – 80/10 (at Mumbai, 2006)
Batting Records – ODIs
- Most runs – Brian Lara (1122 runs – Avg. 48.78)
- Most runs (for SL) – Sanath Jayasuriya (922 runs – Avg. 32.92)
- Highest individual score – Vivian Richards (181 at Karachi, 1987)
- Highest individual score (for SL) – Avishka Gunawardene (132 at Nairobi, 2000)
Bowling Records – ODIs
- Most wickets – Muttiah Muralitharan (34 wickets – Avg. 28.11)
- Most wickets (for WI) – Courtney Walsh (26 wickets – Avg. 25.88)
- Best bowling – Farveez Maharoof (6 for 14 at Mumbai, 2006)
- Best bowling (for WI) – Courtney Walsh (5 for 1 at Sharjah, 1986)
Team Records – T20Is
- Highest team total – 215/3 (SL at Pallekele, 2015)
- Highest team total (for WI) – 185/10 (at Pallekele, 2015)
- Lowest team total – 101/10 (Sri Lanka at RPS, 2012)
- Lowest team total (for WI) – 101/10 (at The Oval, 2009)
Batting Records – T20Is
- Most runs – TM Dilshan (346 runs – Avg. 49.42)
- Most runs (for WI) – Dwayne Bravo (218 runs – Avg. 27.25)
- Highest individual score – Mahela Jayewardene (98* at Bridgetown, 2010)
- Highest individual score (for WI) – Andre Fletcher (84* at Bengaluru, 2016)
Bowling Records – T20Is
- Most wickets – Ajantha Mendis (13 wickets – Avg. 6.30)
- Most wickets (for WI) – Dwayne Bravo (9 wickets – Avg. 22.00)
- Best bowling – Ajantha Mendis (4 for 12 at RPS, 2012)
- Best bowling (for WI) – Lendl Simmons (4 for 19 at Nottingham, 2009)
