The South Africa National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team timeline highlights a fascinating rivalry in cricket with contrasting philosophies, unrelenting competitiveness, and great matches. Since their 1992 meeting, both sides have had exciting, high-pressure contests, whether it be in test matches, one-day, or T20 formats. South Africa typically won with its physical ‘fast’ bowling attack, along with consistency in performance from great cricketers, while Sri Lanka brought artistic flair, spin, and the ability to defend attractive tallies on subcontinent pitches.
Historic matches have taken place that include World Cup match-ups and thrilling test matches, all of which have produced displays of cricketing excellence by legendary players on both sides: Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara, Jacques Kallis, and AB de Villiers. The competition between the two teams has increased in intensity and significance, as the teams have developed into two of the most popular cricket powerhouses in international cricket.
South Africa National Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Timeline: 1992 to 2025
1991 to 2000: The Early Encounters
- 1991-1992 Benson & Hedges World Cup (ODI): The 14th match in the tournament took place at Basin Reserve, Wellington, on March 2nd, 1992, between Sri Lanka and South Africa. Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl first, limiting the Proteas to only 195 runs. With substantial contributions from Roshan Mahanama(68 runs) and Arjuna Ranatunga (64 runs*), the Sri Lankan team chased down the target successfully.
- 1993-1994 Sri Lanka vs South Africa (Test series): A three-match Test series was contested between the Lankan Lions and the Proteas. South Africa won the second game, while the first and third games were drawn. Batting first, the Lankan Lions scored 168 and 119 runs in the first and second innings of the second game, which was contested at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. However, the South African team won by an innings and 208 runs after scoring 495 runs, led by Kepler Wessels (92 runs) and Hansie Cronje (122 runs).
- 1997-1998 South Africa v Sri Lanka (Test series): Demonstrating its dominance on home ground, South Africa won the 2-match Test series. They won by 70 runs in the first game, thanks to Daryll Cullinan’s century and Shaun Pollock’s bowling spell. The Proteas prevailed in the second match by 6 wickets. Allan Donald won the man of the match award for his bowling performance, leading to his side’s victory.
- 1997-1998 Wills Quadrangular Tournament (ODI): The tournament’s final took place on November 8, 1997, at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Sri Lanka lost seven wickets while setting a goal of 209 runs. The Proteas won the 1997–1998 Wills Quadrangular Tournament by 4 wickets, thanks to a vital knock of 99 runs from Lance Klusener.
- 1998-1999 Wills International Cup (ODI): On October 30, 1998, Sri Lanka won the toss in the 1st Semi-final match of the tournament played in Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka (Dacca) and decided to bowl first. Batting first, the Proteas scored 240 runs with Jacques Kalis(113 runs*) batting superbly. Then, Sri Lanka struggled with the South African wickets taken by bowlers Steven Elworthy (3 wickets), Pat Symcox (3 wickets) and Hansie Cronje(2 wickets) and were restricted to only 132 runs.
- 2000-2001 Singer Triangular Series (ODI): The final of the Triangular Series took place between Sri Lanka and South Africa at the R Premdasa Stadium, Colombo on July 14, 2000. With the help of Sanath Jayasuriya scoring 68, Avishka Gunawardene(49 runs), Kumar Sangakkara(43 runs), and Russel Arnold(51 runs), the Sri Lanka team’s total score was 294 runs. In reply, the Proteas were squeezed out to 264 runs, aided by the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan(10 overs, 44 runs and 5 wickets).
2001 to 2015: Middle Battles
- 2000-2001 Sri Lanka vs South Africa (Test series): The first match of the series concluded in a draw. The 2nd test of the three-match series was played at Newlands, Cape Town on 2nd January, 2001. Batting first, the Lankan Lions scored a low total of 95. To this, South Africa replied with 504. Sri Lanka failed to complete the run chase and was dismissed for 180, leading to the victory of the Proteas by an innings and 229 runs. In the third game, South Africa succeeded by an innings and 7 runs. Gary Kirsten, Daryll Cullinan, Neil McKenzie, Shaun Pollock, Mfuneko Ngam, and Makhaya Ntini were significant players for South Africa in the series.
- 2002-2003 Morocco Cup (ODI): The National Cricket Stadium in Tangier held the final of the Morocco Cup on the 21st of August 2002. The Proteas and the Lankan Lions contested for the title. Sri Lanka batted first and made 235 runs for 7 wickets lost, restricting South Africa to 208 runs. Sri Lanka won by 27 runs and were crowned champions. The Player of the Match was Sanath Jayasuriya for his terrific innings of 71 runs.
- 2006-2007 ICC World Cup (ODI): The 26th league match was played at Providence Stadium, Providence, Guyana on 28th March 2007. South Africa won the match by 1 wicket, and the Sri Lankan team lost despite the excellent play of Tillakaratne Dilshan(58 runs), Russel Arnold (50 runs), Lasith Malinga (4 wickets), and Muttiah Muralitharan (3 wickets).
- 2009-2010 ICC Champions Trophy (ODI): The first match of the ICC event was played in Centurion on 22nd September, 2009. Losing 8 wickets, Sri Lanka scored 319 in the first innings. Rain caused South Africa’s target to be set at 262 runs from 37.4 overs; however, they were constrained at 206. The Lankan Lions won the match by 55 runs through the D/L method.
- 2012-2013 ICC World Twenty20: The first T20I encounter between Sri Lanka and South Africa came in 2012 in the 7th match of the 2012-2013 ICC World Twenty20 tournament. The game was played in Hambantota on 22nd September, 2012, where South Africa won by 32 runs.
- 2013-2014 Sri Lanka v South Africa (T20I): The 3rd match of the T20I series was iconic as Sri Lanka won their first T20I match against South Africa. Guided by Faf du Plessis (85), the Proteas scored 163 in the first innings, losing 3 wickets. Sri Lanka pulled off the run chase of 164 effortlessly in 18.1 overs, at the loss of 4 wickets. Tillakaratne Dilshan played a stunning 74 not out off 51 balls and was named man of the match for his contribution.
- 2014-2015 ICC World Cup (ODI): The first quarter-final of the tournament began on March 18, 2015, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia. The Lankan Lions batted first, setting a meagre total of only 133 runs, and no player made any major contributions to their total, with 4 wickets going to the major wicket-taker, Imran Tahir. The Proteas chased that score comfortably with 18 overs to spare, with only one wicket falling and a majority of the runs contributed by Quinton de Kock (78 not out).
2016 to Recent Encounters
- 2016-2017 South Africa vs Sri Lanka (Test): The 3-match series, hosted by South Africa, with the home side being the Proteas, and the hosts won the series 3-0. Major contributors in the Proteas performance were Stephan Cook, Jean-Paul Duminy, Vernon Philander, Kyle Abbott, Stephan Cook, Kagiso Rabada, Dean Elgar, Quinton de Cock, Hasim Amla and Wayne Parnell.
- 2018-2019 South Africa v Sri Lanka (T20I): The 1st game of the 3-match T20I series concluded with South Africa winning in a super over after the scores were tied at 134. Sri Lanka scored four runs in response to South Africa’s 14-run total. In the super over, South Africa’s wicketkeeping was taken over by Quinton de Kock.
- 2019 ICC World Cup: The 35th match of the tournament was played in Chester-Le-Street between South Africa and Sri Lanka. South Africa clinched victory by 9 wickets with 76 balls remaining, thanks to a 175-run partnership by Hashim Amla (80*) and Faf du Plessis (96 not out).
- 2024 ICC T20 World Cup: In the 4th game of the ICC event, in their first innings, the Lankan team set a low target of 77 runs, with Anrich Nortje having the standout bowling spell of 4 overs for 7 runs and 4 wickets. The Proteas had little resistance from the Sri Lankan bowlers and chased the target in 16.2 overs.
- 2024-2025 South Africa v Sri Lanka (Test series): The two sides played a two-match Test series in South Africa. In the first match, South Africa won by 233 runs; Marco Jansen was named player of the match for taking 7 wickets in the first innings, conceding just 13 runs. He took 4 wickets in the second innings. In the next match, the Proteas claimed victory by 109 runs.
The rivalry between South Africa and Sri Lanka can only lead to exciting future matches. With several budding stars, as well as so-called veterans, on both sides, fans can expect competitive matches with lots of passion and unpredictability, as well as the evolution of an exciting rivalry.
South Africa vs Sri Lanka Head to Head Records
Head to Head Record in Test Cricket
| South Africa | Sri Lanka | |
| Match Played | 33 | 33 |
| Won | 18 | 9 |
| Lost | 9 | 18 |
| Draw | 6 | 6 |
| Tied | 0 | 0 |
Head to Head Record in ODIs Cricket
| South Africa | Sri Lanka | |
| Match Played | 81 | 81 |
| Won | 46 | 33 |
| Lost | 33 | 46 |
| No Result | 1 | 1 |
| Tied | 1 | 1 |
Head to Head Record in T20I Cricket
| South Africa | Sri Lanka | |
| Match Played | 18 | 18 |
| Won | 13 | 5 |
| Lost | 5 | 13 |
| No Result | 0 | 0 |
| Tied | 0 | 0 |
Sri Lanka Cricket Team Schedule 2025, Results & Timetable
| Date | Match Type | Venue | Teams | Time (Local) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 Jul ’25 | 1st ODI | Colombo | SL vs BAN | 2:30 PM |
| 05 Jul ’25 | 2nd ODI | Colombo | SL vs BAN | 2:30 PM |
| 08 Jul ’25 | 3rd ODI | Pallekele | SL vs BAN | 2:30 PM |
| 10 Jul ’25 | 1st T20I | Pallekele | SL vs BAN | 7:00 PM |
| 13 Jul ’25 | 2nd T20I | Dambulla | SL vs BAN | 7:00 PM |
| 16 Jul ’25 | 3rd T20I | Colombo | SL vs BAN | 7:00 PM |
| 29 Aug ’25 | 1st ODI | Harare | ZIM vs SL | 9:30 AM |
| 31 Aug ’25 | 2nd ODI | Harare | ZIM vs SL | 9:30 AM |
| 03 Sep ’25 | 1st T20I | Harare | ZIM vs SL | 1:30 PM |
| 06 Sep ’25 | 2nd T20I | Harare | ZIM vs SL | 1:30 PM |
| 07 Sep ’25 | 3rd T20I | Harare | ZIM vs SL | 1:30 PM |
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