Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline: Complete Rivalry History
One of Asian cricket’s longest-running rivalries is between the Sri Lanka national cricket team and the Pakistan national cricket team. The rivalry began in the early 1980s, when Sri Lanka became a Test nation, with clashes across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.
The two teams have been the setting of some defining cricketing histories, from Pakistan’s early hold on near-unbeatable form to Sri Lanka’s World Cup triumphs and the hotly contested modern T20 test.
Updated through 7 Sept. 2026. The most recent finished men’s international between the teams is Pakistan’s five-run triumph over Sri Lanka at the 2026 T20 World Cup on February 28.
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Head-to-Head Record
As of September 2026, Pakistan leads Sri Lanka in all three men’s international formats.
| Format | Matches | Pakistan Won | Sri Lanka Won | Draw/Tie/NR |
| Tests | 59 | 23 | 17 | 19 Draws |
| ODIs | 160 | 96 | 59 | 1 Tie, 4 NR |
| T20Is | 30 | 18 | 12 | 0 |
| Total | 249 | 137 | 88 | 24 |
The Test record is through the end of 2023, the ODI record right through November 2025, and the T20I record through February 2026.
1982: The Rivalry Begins
Sri Lanka’s first real chapter of that rivalry came in March 1982, when they toured Pakistan for Sri Lanka’s maiden Test series against the country.
Karachi, Mar 5–10, 1982: Pakistan 357 (Haroon Rasheed 153) & 361 (Mohsin Khan 106, Javed Miandad 85, Salim Malik 82) beat Australia186 (Craig McDermott 5-40),108 (Merv Hughes 5-31) by 204 runs.
Three more Tests and the same number of ODIs happened in 1982, paving the way for a rivalry that has lasted over four decades.
1982 Test Series
| Test | Venue | Result |
| 1st Test | Karachi | Pakistan won by 204 runs |
| 2nd Test | Faisalabad | Pakistan won |
| 3rd Test | Lahore | Pakistan won |
Pakistan therefore began the Test rivalry with a 3–0 series victory.
1980s-1990s: Pakistan Establishes an Early Advantage
Pakistan largely dominated in the first two decades, particularly in Test cricket. The likes of Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis became stars of Pakistan’s hegemony.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, was evolving into a formidable force in international cricket. More recently, players like Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva and Muttiah Muralitharan started to come through, changing the momentum.
The ODI rivalry had gotten fiercer in the 1990s, especially as both teams became regular participants of Asia Cups and ICC tournaments.
1996: Sri Lanka’s World Cup Triumph
The waning days of Sri Lankan test cricket saw it getting as high point in the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
Sri Lanka won its 1996 men’s ODI World Cup in the final over Australia at Lahore. The tournament is one of the most prominent tournaments in South Asian cricket history, with Pakistan hosting the final.
The Sanath Jayasuriya/Romesh Kaluwitharana-led radical attacking opening method from Sri Lanka did revolutionise (at limited overs) cricket in the ODI format.
2000s: Competitive Asian Rivals
The 2000s produced several important Sri Lanka-Pakistan contests.
Sri Lanka’s golden generation included:
- Sanath Jayasuriya
- Kumar Sangakkara
- Mahela Jayawardene
- Muttiah Muralitharan
- Chaminda Vaas
- Tillakaratne Dilshan
Pakistan also had a world-class group featuring:
- Inzamam-ul-Haq
- Shoaib Akhtar
- Mohammad Yousuf
- Shahid Afridi
- Shoaib Malik
- Umar Gul
The rivalry became a regular feature of bilateral tours, Asia Cup competitions, and ICC events.
2009: Pakistan Tour Attacked in Sri Lanka
The rivalry also became part of a significant non-playing event.
The Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in Lahore while on the way to the Gaddafi Stadium in March 2009. Many Sri Lankan cricketers were hurt.
For international cricket in Pakistan, the event was significant as it forced many international teams to bypass touring Pakistan for years.
2011: Sri Lanka and Pakistan Meet in the World Cup
Sri Lanka and Pakistan played each other regularly in ICC competitions.
Both teams had made it out of the knockout stages in the 2011 World Cup, which was jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Pakistan eventually bowed out to India in the semi-final, then Sri Lanka made it through but went on to lose against India in the Final.
2014: Pakistan Beat Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup
The Asia Cup has been a major part of the contest.
2014: Pakistan won the Asia Cup Final Against Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in Mirpur. In the tournament before that, Lasith Malinga did brilliantly with the ball for Sri Lanka, but as in the final, his efforts were largely undone by Pakistan’s chase.
2017: Pakistan’s Champions Trophy Era
At the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in England, Pakistan came good with their performances during an ODI tournament to hand it one of its finest successes before going on to defeat India in the final.
Sri Lanka and his Pakistan also held bilateral contests in this time frame with most teams changing personnel drastically.
2019: Sri Lanka’s Historic Pakistan Tour
Sri Lanka played a three-match ODI series and three T20Is on its tour of Pakistan in 2019.
This tour was especially important as it marked a major step for international cricket returning to Pakistan.
But Pakistan restricted Zimbabwe to a modest total and went on to win the ODI series 2–0 as one of the games was abandoned. But Sri Lanka whitewashed the T20I series 3–0.
This was among the few surprises Sri Lanka pulled off in T20I cricket against Pakistan.
2022: Asia Cup Final
Another historic chapter was written in 2022 with the Asia Cup.
Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 23 runs in the final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
At one point in the Sri Lanka innings, they were 58/5 before Bhanuka Rajapaksa played an innings that won them the match for a total of 170/6.
Sri Lanka ended Pakistan’s further efforts for 147 to secure their sixth Asia Cup title.
2023: Last Test Meeting
The two teams’ most recent Test meetings came during Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka in July 2023.
Pakistan won the two-match series 2–0.
| Test | Result |
| 1st Test, Galle | Pakistan won by 4 wickets |
| 2nd Test, Colombo | Pakistan won by an innings and 222 runs |
This series remains the latest completed Test series between the two countries as of September 2026.
2025: Pakistan Dominates the ODI Series
Sri Lanka toured Pakistan again in November 2025 for three ODIs.
Pakistan completed a 3–0 series sweep.
| ODI | Date | Result |
| 1st ODI | Nov 11, 2025 | Pakistan won by 6 runs |
| 2nd ODI | Nov 14, 2025 | Pakistan won by 8 wickets |
| 3rd ODI | Nov 16, 2025 | Pakistan won by 6 wickets |
In the first ODI at Guwahati, Pakistan scored 299/5, which was defended against Sri Lanka’s 293/9. In the second ODI in Bengaluru, Pakistan beat 289 with comfort.
Pakistan chased down the 212 needed to win on three wickets and with 32 balls to spare in their final ODI.
2025 T20I Tri-Series
The teams played each other in a T20I thrice during the 2025 tri-series hosted by Pakistan for Zimbabwe.
Pakistan chased down the target within 9 overs to hand Sri Lanka a 7-wicket thrashing.
Nine days later, Sri Lanka claimed a six-run victory over Pakistan.
Pakistan won the tri-series after defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final on November 29.
2026: T20I Series in Sri Lanka
Pakistan began 2026 with a three-match T20I series in Dambulla.
1st T20I – January 7, 2026
Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 128 before Pakistan reached 129/4 in 16.4 overs.
2nd T20I – January 9, 2026
The second T20I was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of persistent rain.
3rd T20I – January 11, 2026
The final match saw a robust response from Sri Lanka, who won the contest by 14 runs in a rain-reduced 12-over match.
Sri Lanka 160/6, Pakistan 146/8. Player of the Match and Player of the Series: Wanindu Hasaranga.
2026 T20 World Cup: Pakistan Beat Sri Lanka Again
Back once look Shadab if Pakistan G=against ditch Sri Lanka T20 World Cup 2026 line will came be u likeuse in Sri. The last completed match between the 2 limbs was at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
At the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pakistan played their first match at the Super Eight stage against Sri Lanka on February 28.
| Team | Score |
| Pakistan | 212/8 |
| Sri Lanka | 207/6 |
| Result | Pakistan won by 5 runs |
While Sahibzada Farhan smacked 100 off 60 balls, Fakhar Zaman blasted 84 runs from just 42 balls. Pakistan was rescued from 212/8 following their opening stand.
Sri Lanka battled hard at 207/6 but would end up five runs short.
It was really surprising to know that Pakistan’s win wasn’t sufficient to assist them in the semi-finals, as New Zealand led on net run rate.
Farhan’s ton also saw him end the tournament with 383 runs – at that stage, a new record for most runs scored in one edition of the men’s T20 World Cup.
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Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline: Key Years
| Year | Series/Tournament | Format | Result | Key Highlight |
| 1975 | Cricket World Cup, Nottingham | ODI | Pakistan won by 192 runs | First ODI meeting between the two teams |
| 1982 | Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan | Test | Pakistan won the series 2–0 | First Test series between the teams |
| 1982 | Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan | ODI | Pakistan won the series 2–1 | First bilateral ODI series |
| 1985–86 | Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka | ODI | Pakistan won 4–0 | Pakistan dominated the ODI series |
| 1986 | Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka | Test | Series drawn 1–1 | Sri Lanka recorded an important Test victory |
| 1992 | Cricket World Cup | ODI | Pakistan won | Pakistan continued its World Cup advantage |
| 1996 | Cricket World Cup Quarter-final | ODI | Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets | Sri Lanka advanced on its way to its first World Cup title |
| 1998–99 | Asian Test Championship | Test | Pakistan won | Pakistan won the championship final |
| 2000 | Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka | Test | Sri Lanka won the series 2–1 | Sri Lanka produced a strong home performance |
| 2001–02 | Asian Test Championship Final | Test | Sri Lanka won by an innings | Sri Lanka won the championship against Pakistan |
| 2004 | Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka | Test | Sri Lanka won 3–0 | Sri Lanka completed a Test series whitewash |
| 2008 | Asia Cup | ODI | Sri Lanka won the semi-final | Sri Lanka continued its strong tournament record |
| 2009 | T20 World Cup Final | T20I | Pakistan won by 8 wickets | Pakistan won its first men’s T20 World Cup title |
| 2011 | Cricket World Cup | ODI | Pakistan won by 11 runs | Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the group stage |
| 2012 | T20 World Cup Semi-final | T20I | Sri Lanka won by 16 runs | Sri Lanka reached the T20 World Cup final |
| 2014 | Asia Cup Final | ODI | Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets | Sri Lanka lifted the Asia Cup |
| 2017 | ODI Series | ODI | Pakistan won 5-match series 5–0 | Pakistan completed an ODI whitewash |
| 2019 | Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka | T20I | Sri Lanka won 3–0 | Sri Lanka achieved a clean sweep in the T20I series |
| 2022 | Asia Cup Final | T20I | Sri Lanka won by 23 runs | Sri Lanka won its sixth Asia Cup title |
| 2023 | Cricket World Cup | ODI | Pakistan won by 6 wickets | Pakistan chased 345 against Sri Lanka |
| 2023 | Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka | Test | Pakistan won 2–0 | Pakistan swept the two-Test series |
| 2025 | Asia Cup Super Four | T20I | Pakistan won by 5 wickets | Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the Super Four |
| 2025 | Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan | ODI | Pakistan won 3–0 | Pakistan completed an ODI series sweep |
| 2025 | Pakistan T20I Tri-Series | T20I | Pakistan won final | Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in the final |
| 2026 | Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka | T20I | Series drawn 1–1 | Pakistan won the first match; Sri Lanka won the third |
| 2026 | T20 World Cup, Pallekele | T20I | Pakistan won by 5 runs | Pakistan scored 212/8 and defended the total |
| 2026 | Record through September | All formats | Pakistan lead | Pakistan remain ahead in Tests, ODIs and T20Is |
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Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: Biggest Rivalry Highlights
Most Test Matches
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have faced each other in 59 Tests, with the former winning 23 times to the latter’s 17; 19 matches ended in draws.
Most ODI Matches
Their ODI rivalry is also the biggest of them all, a staggering 160 matches completed. Pakistan have won 96 times, Sri Lanka 59.
T20I Rivalry
In T20I, Pakistan have an upper hand, winning 18 and losing 12 of the previous 30 matches.
Most Recent Match
The most recent completed meeting was a February 28, 2026 T20 World Cup Super Eight match, which Pakistan won by five runs.
Conclusion
The timeline of Sri Lanka national cricket team vs Pakistan national cricket team is a chronological list of international cricket matches played between the two countries over more than forty years. Beginning with Pakistan’s emphatic win in the 1982 Test series, through Sri Lanka’s World Cup and Asia Cup victories as well as Pakistan’s relatively recent larger share of wins in ODIs and T20Is, it has. Pakistan leads Tests, ODIs, and T20Is overall as of September 2026, but Sri Lanka has given us a few special tournament wins down the line since then and has been a formidable adversary
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