South Africa will host Sri Lanka in a two-Test series from November 27 and both teams will seek a spot in the World Test Championship finals to be held at Lords.
Coming off a dominating display against Bangladesh, South Africa is at a crossroads and faces a must-win situation. At fifth place in the WTC, with a 4-3 record so far, it will take nothing less than winning all four remaining Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan to take it to Lords.
Sri Lanka, with five wins and four losses at third place, comes in with their own hopes and dreams. The island nation is looking to achieve its first Test series victory on South African soil which adds yet another dimension of suspense to this high-stakes conflict.
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SA vs SL Head to Head Records- 1st Test, Sri Lanka tour of South Africa 2024
Stats |
Matches |
SA Won |
SL Won |
Draw |
NR |
Overall |
31 |
16 |
09 |
06 |
00 |
In the last 5 matches |
5 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
In ongoing series |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
In South Africa |
17 |
14 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
SA vs SL Head-to-Head Records: Key Statistics
South Africa and Sri Lanka have faced each other 31 times in Test cricket, with South Africa leading the rivalry with 16 wins, compared to Sri Lanka’s 9.
Six matches ended in draws, and none were abandoned. South Africa’s dominance is even clearer in home conditions, where they’ve won 14 out of 17 matches, while Sri Lanka managed only 3 wins.
Recent form has been slightly in Sri Lanka’s favor with 3 wins out of the last 5, with South Africa winning 2. The series playing out is yet to be determined.
This head-to-head history showed how strong South Africa was, especially at home, but recent resilience from Sri Lanka shows they may be competitive in the Test series ahead.
SA vs SL Head-to-Head Records: The last 5 matches
Sri Lanka has done pretty well against South Africa in the last five matches with Sri Lanka leading South Africa 3-2.
SA vs SL Head-to-Head Records: Best performers:
In the South Africa vs. Sri Lanka Test rivalry, Mahela Jayawardene leads the scoring charts with 1,782 runs in 32 innings at an impressive average of 57.48, including a high score of 374 and six centuries. Kumar Sangakkara follows with 1,534 runs, averaging 47.93.
Among South African players, Daryll Cullinan tops the list with 917 runs at an average of 53.94, including five centuries. Jacques Kallis stands second for South Africa with 894 runs at an average of 38.86.
Conclusion
The SA vs SL head-to-head record in Tests makes it crystal clear that South Africa have the upper hand in this rivalry. South Africa not only have the overall record on their side but have also dominated Sri Lanka in their backyard.