The New Zealand cricket team faces a critical moment in its tour of Sri Lanka and will be desperate to avoid a series of whitewashes in the third and final One Day International at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on November 19.
Having lost the series 0-2, the Blackcaps have struggled with batting inconsistencies and spin-friendly conditions. Their top-order team has repeatedly failed to build substantial partnerships and managed just 209 runs in the rain-shortened second match.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are looking to secure their first series sweep against New Zealand since 2012. Kusal Mendis has been the standout of the series for the Lankans, scoring an unbeaten 74 in the second ODI and a career-best 143 of his career, in the first game of the series.
Key players such as Michael Bracewell (4-36 in the last match) and captain Mitchell Santner will look to give the Kiwis their first breakthrough on the tour.
SL vs NZ Head to Head Records: 3rd ODI, New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka 2024
| Statistics | Matches | SL won | New Zealand 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 games | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| In ongoing series | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Head-to-head records between SL and NZ: key statistics
New Zealand and Sri Lanka have faced each other in several key ODI series over the years and New Zealand have a big advantage in most of the encounters.
In the 1982/83 ODI series, New Zealand completed a 3-0 clean sweep in their home country and the Blackcaps continued their dominance in the 1990/91 series and won 3-0. However, Sri Lanka achieved a victory in 1992/93, winning 2-0 in their series.
Also read: SL vs NZ Match Preview: 3rd ODI, New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka 2024
In the 2000/01 ODI series, Sri Lanka won 4-1 in New Zealand, showing their strength. In recent matches, New Zealand have maintained their advantage, including a 4-2 victory in the 2014/15 series. The most recent series of 2022/23 ended with New Zealand winning 2-0.
Head-to-head records between SL and NZ: last 5 matches
Both the teams are on par in the last five matches, while the Lankans have dominated this series, the Black Caps have beaten the island nation in the tournament and recently defeated them in the Cricket World Cup 2023 held in India.
Head-to-head records between SL and NZ: best players
Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for most wickets against New Zealand, with 74 wickets in 41 matches at an impressive average of 17.94.
On the other hand, Kumar Sangakkara has 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, with 881 runs in 34 matches at an average of 33.88.
Conclusion
The head-to-head record between SL and NZ shows that both teams have been competitive in the rivalry, with New Zealand slightly ahead of the Lankans, but the Sri Lankan team led by Sanath Jayasuriya has come back a bit and dominated the kiwis in the ongoing series.