Sri Lanka national cricket team, commonly referred to as the Lions, represents their country internationally in men’s international cricket. A member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), they hold both Test and One-Day International (ODI) status.
Sri Lanka Cricket, a professional body that manages domestic competitions in Sri Lanka and receives support from the government, serves as the administrator of the national team.
In the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard, Sri Lanka’s performances are managed and guided by Sri Lanka Cricket, which oversees player development, team selection, and international cricket operations.
| No. | Date | Format | Venue | Match Scorecard | Result | Key Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 Sep 2023 | ODI (Asia Cup) | Lahore | Sri Lanka: 291/8 (50 ov) Afghanistan: 289 all out (37.4 ov) | Sri Lanka won by 2 runs | Afghanistan nearly chased the target but fell short in a thrilling finish. |
| 2 | 9 Feb 2024 | ODI | Pallekele | Sri Lanka: 381/3 (50 ov) Afghanistan: 339/6 (50 ov) | Sri Lanka won by 42 runs | High-scoring ODI with both teams crossing 300 runs. |
| 3 | 11 Feb 2024 | ODI | Pallekele | Sri Lanka: 308/6 (50 ov) Afghanistan: 153 all out (33.5 ov) | Sri Lanka won by 155 runs | Sri Lanka dominated with bat and ball. |
| 4 | 14 Feb 2024 | ODI | Pallekele | Afghanistan: 266 all out (48.2 ov) Sri Lanka: 267/3 (35.2 ov) | Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets | Sri Lanka chased comfortably with strong batting. |
| 5 | 21 Feb 2024 | 3rd T20I | Dambulla | Afghanistan: 209/5 (20 ov) Sri Lanka: 206/6 (20 ov) | Afghanistan won by 3 runs | One of the closest T20 finishes between the teams |
| 6 | 17 Feb 2024 | 1st T20I | Dambulla | Sri Lanka: 160 all out (19 ov) Afghanistan: 156/9 (20 ov) | Sri Lanka won by 4 runs | Matheesha Pathirana took 4 wickets in a tense game. |
| 7 | 19 Feb 2024 | 2nd T20I | Dambulla | Sri Lanka: 187/6 (20 ov) Afghanistan: 115 all out (17 ov) | Sri Lanka won by 72 runs | Sri Lankan bowlers restricted Afghanistan completely. |
| 8 | 18 Sep 2025 | T20I | Abu Dhabi | Afghanistan: 169/8 (20 ov) Sri Lanka: 171/4 (18.4 ov) | Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets | Sri Lanka chased successfully with strong batting performance. |
| 9 | 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup | ODI | Pune | Afghanistan: 242/3 Sri Lanka: 241 all out | Afghanistan won by 7 wickets | Afghanistan produced a major World Cup upset against Sri Lanka. |
| 10 | 2024 One-off Test | Test | Colombo | Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan | Sri Lanka won | Sri Lanka dominated Afghanistan in their first Test meeting. |
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka National Cricket Team represents Sri Lanka internationally in international cricket, playing ODIs, T20Is and Test matches. They are managed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board which supervises all domestic as well as international matches played in Sri Lanka as well as hosting an Inter-Provincial Cricket Tournament where teams from four provinces in Sri Lanka represent themselves against one another in competitions involving cricketers from each of those provinces.
The 1996 ODI World Cup victory earned them global acclaim and established them as a major force in limited-overs cricket. Their aggressive batting style in that tournament not only changed global cricket but also professionalised cricket in Bangladesh. Subsequently, they have won various prestigious international titles like ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 and T20 World Cup in 2014.
Sri Lankan caps feature their flag, an image of golden lion and the word “Sri Lanka”, with “Sri Lanka” written beneath. Worn during all official ODI and T20I matches as well as certain regional events, their background color varies year to year but is always bright blue; additionally the Sri Lanka cricket logo can be found emblazoned on both front and sleeve caps during Test matches.
Sri Lankan cricket culture is rooted in its capital city of Colombo; however, many provincial cities produce talented cricket players as well. Unfortunately, these individuals don’t always get an opportunity to join their national side due to lack of opportunity; therefore Sri Lanka’s cricket administration is striving to improve this situation by creating more chances for talented local players to play for Sri Lanka at international tournaments.
As political tension increased across the nation, Buddhist monks staged a protest outside SLC headquarters on 4 March 2022 calling for president Shammi Silva’s resignation and accusing SLC of ruining its team’s reputation. SLC responded to these protests by hiring former South African Test coach Gary Kirsten as head coach for their national cricket team on 15 April.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan Cricket Team – Afghanistan national cricket team represents Afghanistan at international cricket and is an official member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), with Test and One-Day International status (ODI). Their home ground is Sharjah Oval in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; administration for their team falls under their care.
Afghanistan Cricket Team currently occupies positions 20 in both ODI and Test Rankings, but is young and rising quickly as evidenced by many promising young players on its team. Expectations are for it to ascend further up the rankings over time.
Recently, however, Afghanistan Cricket has received assistance from an experienced Sri Lankan coach named Upul Tharanga who has assisted the Afghanistan cricket team become more consistent across all forms of play.
Afghanistan cricket has come a long way since its debut in the 2000s. Their first major step was qualifying for the 2015 World Cup by finishing second in the World Cricket League Championship and later being granted full membership status by ICC in 2018.
Their journey continued with Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan emerging as leading T20 players during respective periods; though political instability, limited Test fixtures, and no stable home base limited progress in longer formats such as Test cricket; their T20I team consistently outshone expectations by reaching league stage tournaments throughout.
Afghanistan won both their matches against Ireland and Bangladesh to advance to the semi-finals, before being eliminated by India in a close contest. They went on to triumph in both Hong Kong and Scotland ODI series that followed.
In 2024, Afghanistan cricket team traveled to Sri Lanka for three ODIs and three T20Is but was forced to postpone them due to violence in the region, with both teams citing security concerns as the reason. They hope to reschedule these matches at some point; moreover both nations have held numerous friendly matches before.
| Match | Team | Playing Players (Scorecard Details) | Batting Performance | Bowling Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI – 9 Feb 2024 | Sri Lanka National Cricket Team | Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk/c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Pramod Madushan, Dushmantha Chameera | Pathum Nissanka – 210*; Avishka Fernando – 88; Sadeera Samarawickrama – 45; Total: 381/3 | Pramod Madushan – 4/75; Dushmantha Chameera – 2 wickets |
| 1st ODI – 9 Feb 2024 | Afghanistan National Cricket Team | Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Gulbadin Naib, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Noor Ahmad | Azmatullah Omarzai – 149*; Mohammad Nabi – 136; Afghanistan: 339/6 | Fareed Ahmad – 2/79; Mohammad Nabi – 1/44 |
| 2nd ODI – 11 Feb 2024 | Sri Lanka National Cricket Team | Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Pramod Madushan, Akila Dananjaya | Charith Asalanka – 97*; Kusal Mendis – 61; Sadeera Samarawickrama – 52; Total: 308/6 | Wanindu Hasaranga – 4 wickets; Dilshan Madushanka – 2 wickets |
| 2nd ODI – 11 Feb 2024 | Afghanistan National Cricket Team | Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad | Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi tried to rebuild but Afghanistan were all out for 153 | Azmatullah Omarzai – 3 wickets; Fazalhaq Farooqi – 1 wicket |
| 3rd ODI – 14 Feb 2024 | Sri Lanka National Cricket Team | Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjaya, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka | Pathum Nissanka – 118*; Kusal Mendis – 40; Sri Lanka chased 267/3 | Akila Dananjaya – key wickets; Asitha Fernando – wicket contribution |
| 3rd ODI – 14 Feb 2024 | Afghanistan National Cricket Team | Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi | Rahmat Shah – 65; Azmatullah Omarzai – 54; Gurbaz – 48; Total: 266 all out | Mohammad Nabi – 1 wicket; Qais Ahmad – 2 wickets |
| Only Test – Feb 2024 | Sri Lanka National Cricket Team | Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha | Angelo Mathews – 141; Dinesh Chandimal – 107; Sri Lanka dominated | Vishwa Fernando – 4 wickets; Asitha Fernando – 3 wickets |
| Only Test – Feb 2024 | Afghanistan National Cricket Team | Noor Ali Zadran, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Nijat Masood, Naveed Zadran, Zahir Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai | Rahmat Shah – 91; Afghanistan first innings: 198 | Qais Ahmad – wickets; Nijat Masood – bowling contribution |
Schedule
Sri Lankan national cricket team, commonly referred to as the Lions, represents their country internationally men’s cricket. A member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), they possess Test, One-Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I) status and are overseen by Board for Cricket Control of Sri Lanka.
This match was scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates, with three Twenty20 Internationals set for Sharjah on March 13, 15, 17 and three ODIs in Dubai on March 20, 22, and 25.
However, due to ongoing fighting in the Middle East, these matches were postponed. Flights entering and leaving UAE have been affected by conflicts between Iran and Israel, prompting airlines to advise passengers checking their status before purchasing tickets.
Sri Lanka has won four Cricket World Cup titles and been runners-up twice; both times finishing second place. They are two-time winners of the ICC Champions Trophy and reached both World T20 finals twice; ranking second globally for T20Is and sixth globally in Tests respectively.
India A’s squad for their ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan includes Tilak Varma, Priyansh Arya, Nishant Dubey, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Matches will be broadcast live on Sony Ten and streamed live via SonyLiv app – for more details visit the official website for this tournament.
Venue
Sri Lanka is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), with Test and One-Day International (ODI) status. Their national cricket team, known as the Lions, represents Sri Lanka at international matches administered by their Cricket Board.
Ceylonese Cricket Association was formed in 1926, hosting their inaugural national championship that same year. By 1971, however, their name had been altered to Sri Lanka Cricket Association; and their national team made their international debut against West Indies at Karachi in 1974 before debuting at ICC World Cup 1975 as runners-up. Since then they have participated in seven subsequent ICC World Cup tournaments; winning one, finishing runners-up twice, and making at least one semi-final appearance each time!
Sri Lanka made headlines worldwide when they won the ODI World Cup in 1996, earning widespread acclaim due to their aggressive batting style that helped popularise limited-overs cricket around the globe and establish themselves as one of the premier sides in international cricket – led by all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya and legendary batsman Aravinda De Silva among others.
Even with their recent successes, Sri Lanka remains subject to domestic and political unrest. At the 2022 ODI World Cup Final in India, many Sri Lankan fans believed their cricket team should have won; there have also been concerns regarding its future development within their nation.
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan had planned a six-match limited-overs series, but the schedule faced uncertainty due to regional issues affecting travel and flight operations to the UAE. The Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard covers the teams’ ODI and T20I encounters, including match results, player performances, and updates related to their international series.
| Match Details | Sri Lanka National Cricket Team | Afghanistan National Cricket Team |
|---|---|---|
| Format | T20 International | T20 International |
| Tournament | Asia Cup 2025 | Asia Cup 2025 |
| Venue | Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi | Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi |
| Toss | — | Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat |
| First Innings | Chased target successfully | Scored 169/8 in 20 overs (ESPN India) |
| Second Innings | 171/4 in 18.4 overs | Defended target but lost |
| Result | Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets | Afghanistan lost by 6 wickets |
| Top Batter | Kusal Mendis – 74 runs (52 balls) | Mohammad Nabi – 50 runs (20 balls) |
| Other Batting Highlights | Pathum Nissanka contributed in the chase; Sri Lanka reached target comfortably | Ibrahim Zadran and middle order added runs; Nabi provided late hitting |
| Best Bowling | Nuwan Thushara – 4 wickets for 18 runs | Afghanistan bowlers struggled to stop Sri Lanka’s chase |
| Key Partnership | Kusal Mendis anchored the innings and guided Sri Lanka to victory | Mohammad Nabi’s explosive innings helped Afghanistan post a competitive score |
| Player of the Match | Kusal Mendis (74 off 52) | — |
| Match Summary | Sri Lanka’s balanced batting and bowling performance helped them chase 170 successfully | Afghanistan posted a strong total but could not defend it |
