Sri Lanka holds a solid position in the upper half of the table following their recent matches, while New Zealand sits in the middle pack fighting for a spot in the finals.
Position
Team
Matches Played
Won
Lost
Drawn
Points Percentage (%)
3
Sri Lanka
10
6
4
0
66.67%
5
New Zealand
9
4
5
0
44.44%
ICC Men’s Team Rankings Across All Formats
New Zealand maintains a higher ranking in the limited-overs formats, while Sri Lanka leads them in the current Test rankings.
Format
Sri Lanka Rank
Sri Lanka Rating
New Zealand Rank
New Zealand Rating
Test
6th
86
7th
82
ODI
6th
96
4th
108
T20I
9th
221
5th
247
2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup – Super Eight Group 1 Standings
During the 2026 T20 World Cup, both teams featured in Super Eight Group 1. New Zealand successfully advanced to the knockout stage, while Sri Lanka was eliminated.
Position
Team
Matches
Won
Lost
Points
Net Run Rate (NRR)
Status
1
Australia
3
3
0
6
+1.340
Advanced
2
New Zealand
3
2
1
4
+0.520
Advanced
3
South Africa
3
1
2
2
-0.210
Eliminated
4
Sri Lanka
3
0
3
0
-1.650
Eliminated
Upcoming Series Schedule and Venues
Date / Window
Series Type
Format
Host Country
Tentative Venues
Details
Late 2026
Bilateral Series
2 Tests
New Zealand
Christchurch, Wellington
Part of the World Test Championship cycle
Late 2026
Bilateral Series
3 ODIs, 3 T20Is
New Zealand
Auckland, Hamilton
Limited overs leg of the winter tour
Head-to-Head Summary
Format
Total Matches Played
Sri Lanka Wins
New Zealand Wins
No Result / Tied / Drawn
Test Cricket
40
11
18
11
ODI Cricket
104
43
52
9
T20I Cricket
26
9
15
2
Most Memorable Match – The Epic Thriller!
Category
Match Detail
Tournament / Event
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
Date
27 September 2012
Venue
Pallekele, Sri Lanka
New Zealand Inning
174/7 (20 Overs) – Rob Nicol 58, Akila Dananjaya 2/32
Sri Lanka Inning
174/6 (20 Overs) – Tillakaratne Dilshan 76, Tim Southee 1/23
Super Over Result
Sri Lanka scored 13/1, New Zealand scored 7/1
Historic Significance
Tied group stage thriller settled by a dramatic Super Over in front of a home crowd
Major Tournament Matches Between Them
Tournament
Year
Stage
Winner
Margin of Victory
Key Performer
ICC ODI World Cup
2007
Semi-Final
Sri Lanka
81 runs
Mahela Jayawardene
ICC ODI World Cup
2011
Group Stage
Sri Lanka
112 runs
Kumar Sangakkara
ICC ODI World Cup
2015
Opening Match
New Zealand
98 runs
Corey Anderson
ICC ODI World Cup
2019
League Stage
New Zealand
10 wickets
Matt Henry
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
2026
Super Eight
New Zealand
61 runs
Rachin Ravindra
Key Performance Leaderboard
Player Name
Team
Format
Metric Category
Statistical Record
Kane Williamson
New Zealand
Test / ODI
Run Machine
1500+ runs across formats against Sri Lanka
Kusal Mendis
Sri Lanka
ODI / T20I
Top Aggressor
Highest active run-scorer for Sri Lanka against New Zealand
Tim Southee
New Zealand
All Formats
Pace Spearhead
70+ total wickets across all formats against Sri Lanka
Wanindu Hasaranga
Sri Lanka
T20I / ODI
Strike Spinner
22 wickets with an economy under 6.80 against New Zealand
Rachin Ravindra
New Zealand
All Formats
Rising All-Rounder
Career-best T20I figures of 4/27 in the 2026 tournament
The Battlefield: Tactical Power-Plays & Record Breakers (2025-26)
Tactical Phase
Sri Lanka Strategy
New Zealand Strategy
Dominant Team
Statistical Impact
Mandatory Power-Play (1-6)
Attack early with aggressive swing bowling
Steady foundation with minimal aerial risks
New Zealand
New Zealand maintains an average power-play score of 48/1
Middle Overs Consolidation
Heavy spin reliance to choke the scoring
Quick rotation of strike and targeting shorter boundaries
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka spinners reduce the opposition run rate to 6.20
Death Overs Execution
Slower variations and wide yorkers
Hard lengths and high-pace bouncers
New Zealand
New Zealand scores an average of 65 runs in the last 5 overs
Boundary Percentage
Reliance on sweeps and subcontinental flicks
Straight down the ground lofts and power hitting
New Zealand
New Zealand hit 9 more boundaries in their most recent meeting
The Tactical Edge: Strategic Matchups & Squad Dynamics
Strategic Matchup
Tactical Vulnerability
Counter-Strategy Deployable
Expected Outcome
Pathum Nissanka vs Matt Henry
Susceptible to sharp seam movement on the first ball
Guard adjustment and playing with a close face
High probability of an early wicket
Glenn Phillips vs Maheesh Theekshana
Struggles against mystery spin turning away early on
Sweeping from the stumps to disrupt lengths
Tight defensive overs for spin
Kusal Mendis vs Mitchell Santner
Vulnerable to left-arm orthodox flight and dip
Using the feet to loft over mid-on
Even contest in the middle phase
Devon Conway vs Matheesha Pathirana
Difficulties picking up the slinging yorker at high speed
