Sri Lanka will face New Zealand in a two-match Test series at home. The series opener is scheduled to take place at Galle International Stadium from Wednesday (September 18), and the same venue will host the second red-ball from September 26 onwards. The first Test between the two teams will be a rare six-day match. It will feature a rest day on September 21 due to a presidential election in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is coming into the series after getting the better of England in the last red-ball match played at The Oval by 8 wickets, whereas New Zealand’s last Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida finished without a ball being bowled.
The inaugural WTC winners, which sit at No. 3 position in the 2023-25 points table, would like to come up with a big show against the Dhananjaya de Silva-led side to win the series and gain confidence ahead of the three-match Test tour of India next month.
Ahead of the start of the Sri Lanka-New Zealand Test series, here’s a look at how these two sides have performed in 38 matches played so far and who are the top performers and record-holders:
- Most wins: 18 wins in 38 Tests for New Zealand.
- Highest total: 671 for 4 in 220.3 overs by New Zealand in Wellington (January-February 1991).
- Lowest total: 93 all out in 53 overs by Sri Lanka in Wellington (March 1983).
- Biggest win (by an innings): New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 65 runs at SSC, Colombo (August 2019).
- Biggest win (by runs): New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 423 runs in Christchurch (December 2018).
- Biggest win (by wickets): Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 10 wickets in Galle (November 2012).
- Most runs: 1329 runs in 12 Tests by Kane Williamson of New Zealand.
- Highest individual score: 299 runs from 521 balls by Martin Crowe of New Zealand in Wellington (January-February 1991).
- Highest average (min 10 innings): 78.17 by Kane Williamson (1329 runs in 21 innings).
- Most 100s: 5 centuries in 12 matches by Kane Williamson.
- Most 50s: 7 half-centuries each by Stephen Fleming (NZ), Arjuna Ranatunga, Dimuth Karunaratne, and Angelo Matthews (all three from Sri Lanka).
- Most ducks: 5 zeros each by Daniel Vettori (NZ) and Muttiah Muralitharan (SL).
- Most sixes: 21 sixes in 12 Tests by Brendon McCullum of New Zealand.
- Most sixes (in an innings): 11 maximums by Brendon McCullum during his 195-run knock from 134 balls in Christchurch (December 2014).
- Most runs in a series: 513 runs in three matches by Andrew Jones of New Zealand during the Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand in 1991.
- Most wickets: 82 wickets in 14 Tests by Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka.
- Best bowling figures (in an innings): 7 wickets for 130 runs in 42.3 overs by Daniel Vettori of New Zealand in Wellington (December 2006).
- Best bowling figures (in a match): 11 wickets for 108 runs in 48 overs by Rangana Herath of Sri Lanka in Galle (November 2012).
- Most five-wicket hauls: 5 in 14Tests by Muttiah Muralitharan.
- Most 10 wickets (in a match): 1 each by Richard Hadlee and Daniel Vettori (both from NZ); Rangana Herath, Chaminda Vaas, and Muttiah Muralitharan (all three from SL).
- Most wickets in a series: 23 wickets in three Tests by Richard Hadlee of New Zealand during the New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka in 1984.
- Most dismissals: 44 (42 catches & 2 stumpings) by BJ Watling of New Zealand in eight Tests.
- Most catches: 23 catches in 13 Tests by Stephen Fleming of New Zealand.
- Highest partnership: 467 runs for the third wicket between Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe of New Zealand in Wellington (January-February 1991).
- Most matches: 16 Tests by Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka).
- Most wins as captain: 5 wins in 11 Tests by Stephen Fleming of New Zealand.
In the last Test series played between the two teams in March 2023, the Kiwis managed to get the better of Sri Lanka in both matches. Sri Lanka’s last Test win over the Black Caps was in 2019 during a match played in Galle.
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