South Africa and Sri Lanka once dominated the cricket world. However, these days, both nations are struggling in all formats of the game. In the ICC tournaments played in the 1990s and the 2000s, cricket experts would pick Sri Lanka and South Africa among the favorites.
Unfortunately, now very few expect them to even make it to the semifinals. Both teams will face off in an ICC Cricket World Cup Super League series in Sri Lanka from September 2 to 7. The 3-match ODI series will be followed by a 3-match T20I series. The T20Is will help both squads finalize their combinations before the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. On that note, let’s have a look at the head-to-head record between the two teams.
Table of Contents
- SL vs SA Head to Head Stats
- SL vs SA Head to Head Stats - Tests
- SL vs SA Head to Head Stats - ODIs
- SL vs SA Head to Head Stats - T20Is
SL vs SA Head to Head Stats
The South African cricket team has dominated Sri Lanka in all formats of the game. The Proteas lead the head-to-head record against Sri Lanka in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. While the lead is considerable in Tests and ODIs, the head-to-head record in T20 internationals is very close.
| Format | Test | ODI | T20I |
| Matches Played | 25 | 80 | 17 |
| Sri Lanka Won | 9 | 33 | 5 |
| South Africa Won | 16 | 45 | 11 |
| Sri Lanka Win % | 36% | 41.25% | 31.25% |
| South Africa Win % | 64% | 56.25% | 68.75% |
SL vs SA Head to Head Stats - Tests
South Africa and Sri Lanka competed in a Test match for the first time back in 1993. The Proteas did not allow the islanders to record a single win in their first five Test matches. Sri Lanka’s record improved gradually, but they have not been able to record more wins than South Africa.
| Matches Played | 25 |
| Sri Lanka Won | 9 |
| South Africa Won | 16 |
| Tied | 0 |
| Drawn | 0 |
| Sri Lanka Win % | 36% |
| South Africa Win % | 64% |
| Draw % | 0% |
| First Played On | August 1993 |
| Last Played On | January 2021 |
SL vs SA Head to Head Stats - ODIs
Unlike Test cricket, South Africa lost their first ODI match against Sri Lanka. There was a time when the islanders dominated South Africa in the 50-over format, but the Proteas have won 18 of their last 20 ODI matches against Sri Lanka and taken a big lead in the head-to-head record.
| Matches Played | 80 |
| Sri Lanka Won | 33 |
| South Africa Won | 45 |
| Tied | 1 |
| No Result | 1 |
| Sri Lanka Win % | 41.25% |
| South Africa Win % | 56.25% |
| First Played On | March 1992 |
| Last Played On | September 2021 |
SL vs SA Head to Head Stats - T20Is
Sri Lanka and South Africa did not play a single T20I against each other before the ICC T20 World Cup 2012. Since then, they have competed in the shortest format of the game regularly, and the Proteas have a winning head-to-head record in the T20I format as well.
| Matches Played | 17 |
| South Africa Won | 11 |
| Sri Lanka Won | 5 |
| Tied | 0 |
| No Result | 0 |
| Sri Lanka Win % | 64.70% |
| South Africa Win % | 29.41% |
| First Played On | September 2012 |
| Last Played On | September 2021 |
