Tour of Sri Lanka New Zealand it will come to an end this week. The third and final match of the ongoing NZ vs SL ODI series will be played on Saturday (January 11, 2025) at Eden Park, Auckland.
New Zealand have already won the NZ vs SL series by winning the first two games. The Black Caps started the series with a 9-wicket win in the first ODI. In the second ODI, the Mitchell Santner-led side registered a massive 113-run victory.
Batting first, New Zealand posted 255/9 in a game reduced to 37 overs a side due to rain. Rachin Ravindra (79) and Mark Chapman (62) impressed with the bat for the hosts. For Sri Lanka, Maheesh Theekshana took 4 wickets including a hat-trick.
With the bat, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 142 runs. Kamindu Mendis scored a fighting fifty but found very little support from the other end.
With both teams now gearing up for the third and final ODI, we’ll take a look at their record against each other in the 50-over format.
NZ vs SL Head to Head Records – 3rd ODI, Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand 2024-25:
| Statistics | Matches | NZ won | SL won | Tie | NO |
| All in all | 107 | 54 | 43 | 1 | 9 |
| At Eden Park, Auckland | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| In the last 5 games | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| In an ongoing series | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| In New Zealand | 47 | 32 | 12 | 0 | 3 |
| In the year 2025 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Head-to-head results NZ vs SL: key stats
According to the records of New Zealand and Sri Lanka meeting each other in ODIs, both teams have played 107 ODIs so far. New Zealand has had the upper hand in this rivalry so far.
Out of 107 ODI matches between the two teams, New Zealand have won 54, while Sri Lanka have won 43 matches. 9 matches between the two teams ended without a result, while one match was a draw.
At home, New Zealand have a very dominant record against Sri Lanka in the 50-over format. The Black Caps have won 32 out of 47 ODIs against Sri Lanka at home. On the other hand, Sri Lanka managed to win only 12 matches against New Zealand in New Zealand.
In Auckland, Sri Lanka have a decent record. Both teams have played 8 ODI matches at Eden Park so far. New Zealand won 4 of those matches, while Sri Lanka won 3 and 1 match ended in a draw.
NZ vs SL Head-to-Head Records: Last 5 Matches
In the last five ODIs, New Zealand won 2, Sri Lanka won 2 while 1 match ended in no result.
NZ vs SL Head-to-Head Records: Top Performers
Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara holds the record for scoring the most runs in NZ vs SL ODIs. The former wicketkeeper-batsman played 47 ODIs against New Zealand and scored 1568 runs with the help of 2 centuries and 12 half-centuries.
No New Zealanders are in the top five on this list. The record for most ODI runs against Sri Lanka by a New Zealand player is held by Ross Taylor. The former batsman played 34 ODIs against Sri Lanka and scored 881 runs with the help of 2 centuries and 5 fifties.
Among the bowlers, former Sri Lanka opener Muttiah Muralitharan has the most wickets in this match. The former spin leader in Sri Lanka played 41 ODIs against the Black Caps and took 74 wickets, including 2 five-wicket hauls. For New Zealand, the record is held by Kyle Mills who took 32 wickets in 21 games against the Islanders.
Conclusion
New Zealand justified their better head-to-head record against Sri Lanka by winning the ongoing series. With the momentum on their side, New Zealand will also want to win the upcoming match. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will be desperate to win the third ODI and improve their record against the Black Caps in the 50-over format.
