The New Zealand cricket team toured Sri Lanka in 1987, with the intention of playing three test matches and three one day internationals. The first test at Colombo Cricket Club Ground ended in a draw. The second and third Tests were both cancelled because of civil disturbances. The tour was cut short due to a bomb exploding near the New Zealand team's hotel in Colombo. [1] The terrorist bomb responsible for killing 113 civilians was planted by the Tamil Tigers separatist movement and was not targeted towards the touring New Zealand cricket team. However, the team voted overwhelmingly to return home after just one Test of the scheduled three-Test tour. In the aftermath of the incident, no international tours of Sri Lanka were undertaken until 1992.
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The Sri Lanka National Men's Cricket Team, nicknamed The Lions, represents Sri Lanka in men's international cricket. It is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) status. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation. The team is administered by Sri Lanka Cricket.
Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath, known as Rangana Herath, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played all forms of the game and a former Test captain for Sri Lanka. Herath is the most successful left arm bowler in Test cricket history. He is currently working as spin bowling consultant with the Bangladesh cricket team.
Don Sardha Brendon Priyantha Kuruppu is a former Sri Lankan wicket-keeper and opening batsman. He is one of few batsmen in the world to score a double century on debut. Brendon was often played in ODIs, as he played 54 from 1983 to 1990, but his Test career was largely unremarkable but for one productive innings in Colombo that he scored 201 to be the first Test century as well as double century scored on debut for Sri Lanka.
Blair Robert Hartland is a former New Zealand cricketer who played nine Tests and 16 One Day Internationals for New Zealand. He was a specialist batsman, who usually opened the innings and bowled a total of three overs in his senior career. The son of former Canterbury cricketer, Ian Hartland, he was also a very talented hockey player.
International cricket played in the 2006 cricket season is defined as matches scheduled between May and August 2006 in all cricketing countries, as well as all international matches scheduled for the 2006 English cricket season. Matches between January and April are defined as belonging to the 2005–06 season, while matches between September and December are defined as the 2006–07 season. The main matches in this period were played in England, as this was in the middle of the English cricket season, but the third edition of the ICC Intercontinental Cup is defined as a part of the 2006 season, even though the tournament stretched into February 2007, and three A teams were also scheduled to tour the northwestern part of Australia in June and July 2006.
Colombo Cricket Club Ground is a multi-purpose stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is currently used mostly for domestic first-class cricket matches and for hosting warm up matches for touring teams. The stadium can hold 6,000 people and hosted its first Test match in 1984. It is one of the smallest test grounds in the world. Three Test matches have been held at the Colombo Cricket Club Ground.
The Sri Lanka women's national cricket team represents Sri Lanka in international women's cricket. One of eight teams competing in the ICC Women's Championship, the team is organised by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Angelo Davis Mathews, is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer and a former captain in all formats. Even though he represented Sri Lanka in all three formats, Mathews currently plays Test cricket for Sri Lanka. He was also a key member of the team that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and was part of the team that made the finals of 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and 2012 ICC World Twenty20. An occasional bowler who can deliver swinging match-winning spells, Mathews and Lasith Malinga holds the record for the highest ninth wicket partnership in ODI cricket. In July 2022, Matthews played in his 100th Test match for Sri Lanka.
Cricket was introduced to Sri Lanka in the first quarter of the 19th century, following colonisation of the island by the British. The earliest known match was recorded in 1832 and the earliest first-class one in 1926. The national team has played Test cricket from 1982. The national team has achieved international success by winning the 1996 Cricket World Cup and the 2014 ICC World Twenty20. Cricket is played nationwide with Test venues in Colombo, Galle, Kandy and Moratuwa. The country's most notable players includes Aravinda De Silva, Arjuna Ranathunga, Rangana Herath, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara and Chaminda Vaas. Administration and governance are performed by Sri Lanka Cricket, which was founded in July 1922 as the Ceylon Cricket Association (CCA). The main domestic competition is the Premier Trophy which attained first-class status in 1988.
John Michael Arthur is a South African-Australian cricket coach and former cricketer, who played in South African domestic cricket from 1986 to 2001. He has served as the head coach of the Derbyshire County Cricket Club since November 2021.
The Pakistan national cricket team toured Australia in the 1972–73 season and played three Test matches against the Australian national cricket team. After an inadequate preparation against weak teams, Pakistan lost by an innings in the first Test in Adelaide. While Australia won the series 3–0, the last two tests were competitive, with Pakistan seeming the likely winner on the second last days. The 2nd test in Melbourne was attended by 115,721. Pakistan also visited Sri Lanka and played a match against the Sri Lankan national cricket team and followed the tour with a series against New Zealand, where both teams played their first ODI.
Cricket is the most popular sport in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is one of the twelve nations that take part in Test cricket and one of the six nations that has won a cricket World Cup. Cricket is played at professional, semi-professional and recreational levels in the country and international cricket matches are watched with interest by a large proportion of the population.
Lokuge Dinesh Chandimal is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer who captained the Sri Lanka national cricket team. A handy and agile right-handed batsman who sometimes plays as the wicket-keeper middle order batsman, Chandimal was the first captain to lead Sri Lanka in their first day-night Test match.
Gampalage Shehan Naveendra De Fonseka Gunawarna Jayasuriya, or commonly Shehan Jayasuriya, is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer, who played for Chilaw Marians in Sri Lankan domestic cricket. He is a quick-scoring left-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler. He was born in Colombo, and attended Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa. He announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in Sri Lanka on 8 January 2021 because of him moving to United States with his family.
Frank Dimuth Madushanka Karunaratne, popularly known as Dimuth Karunaratne, is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer and current captain of the Sri Lanka Test cricket team. He is considered as one of the best Test openers in the world. He is a left-handed red ball specialist who represents the country in both Tests and ODIs, and also a former ODI captain. He plays first-class cricket for the Sinhalese Sports Club. Karunaratne is the opening batsman for Sri Lanka in Test cricket and ODIs.
The New Zealand national cricket team toured Sri Lanka from 30 October 2012 to 29 November 2012. The tour consisted of two Test matches, five One Day Internationals and one Twenty20 International matches. Sri Lanka Cricket moved the second and third ODIs against New Zealand from the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo to the Pallekele Cricket Stadium, because the Premadasa was flooded after three weeks of monsoon rain.
Jeffrey Dexter Francis Vandersay is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a past student of Wesley College, Colombo.
The New Zealand cricket team toured Sri Lanka in August and September 2019 to play two Test and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. The Test series formed a part of the inaugural 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship. The fixtures for the tour were confirmed in July 2019. Originally, the first two T20I matches were scheduled to be played at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, but were moved to the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
The Pakistan cricket team are touring Sri Lanka in July 2022 to play to play two Test matches against the Sri Lankan cricket team. The Test series forms part of the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship. In April 2022, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that the series would be taking place. Originally, the tour was also going to include three One Day International (ODI) matches, but these were cancelled in May 2022, as they were not part of the 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League. The fixtures for the tour were confirmed in June 2022. Pakistan last toured Sri Lanka for a Test series in June and July 2015. On 17 July 2022, Sri Lanka Cricket moved the second Test from the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo to the Galle International Stadium due to the economic crisis in the country.