The New Zealand cricket team faces a critical juncture in their tour of Sri Lanka and will be desperate to avoid a series whitewash in the third and final One Day International at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on November 19.
Already down the series 0-2, the Blackcaps struggled with batting inconsistencies and rotation-friendly conditions. Their top order repeatedly failed to build meaningful partnerships and managed just 209 runs in the rain-shortened second match.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will be looking to secure their first series win against New Zealand since 2012. Kusal Mendis scored an unbeaten 74 in the second ODI and a career-best 143 in the series opener to make the series standout for the Lankans.
Key players like Michael Bracewell (4-36 in the last match) and Captain Mitchell Santner will look to provide the first breakthrough on the tour for the Kiwis.
SL vs NZ Head to Head Records- 3rd ODI, New Zealand Sri Lanka tour 2024
| Statistics | Matches | SL won | NZ Won | NR | Tie |
| In general | 104 | 43 | 52 | 8 | 1 |
| In Sri Lanka | 25 | 19 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| in New Zealand | 42 | 12 | 30 | 2 | |
| In Neutral Spaces | 28 | 12 | 16 | ||
| In the last five matches | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| In the ongoing series | 2 | 2 | 0 |
SL vs NZ Head-to-Head Records: Key Stats
New Zealand and Sri Lanka have faced each other in several major ODI series over the years, with New Zealand having a strong edge in most encounters.
New Zealand completed a 3-0 clean sweep at home in the 1982/83 ODI series and the Blackcaps continued their dominance in the 1990/91 series, winning 3-0. However, Sri Lanka won their series 2-0 in the 1992/93 season.
Also read: SL vs NZ Match Preview – 3rd ODI, New Zealand Sri Lanka tour 2024
In the 2000/01 ODI series, Sri Lanka dominated New Zealand and won 4-1. Recent competitions have seen New Zealand maintain their dominance, including a 4-2 victory in the 2014/15 series. The most recent series of the 2022/23 season ended with a 2-0 victory for New Zealand.
SL vs NZ Head-to-Head Records: Last 5 Matches
Both teams are level in their last five matches, with the Lankans dominating the series, with the Black Caps getting the better of the island nation in tournament play and beating them in the recent Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
SL vs NZ Head-to-Head Records: Top performers
Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for most wickets against New Zealand, scoring 74 wickets from 41 matches at an impressive average of 17.94.
On the other hand, Kumar Sangakkara scored the most runs against New Zealand, amassing 1,568 runs at an average of 40.20. For New Zealand, Ross Taylor has the most runs against Sri Lanka, 881 runs from 34 matches at an average of 33.88.
The result
The SL vs NZ head-to-head record shows that both teams slightly favored the Lankans in their rivalry with New Zealand, but under the leadership of Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankan team made a bit of a comeback and dominated the Kiwis in the ongoing series.
