Cricket in Sri Lanka - A Brief Guide

Jayawardene, Muralitharan and Jayasuriya are names that would strike fear into even the finest opposition teams. Whilst the quality of its surf and tea are also internationally renowned, it is the cricket team that has become one of the country’s most famous exports. By far the most popular sport on the island, for many it is a rite of passage to visit Galle and Colombo on tour. Why not match a holiday in a luxury beachfront villa in Sri Lanka with the chance to play and watch cricket in one of its hotspots?

Brought to the island by the British during the colonial era, cricket was an immediate hit on the island. The first recorded game played in Sri Lanka – at that time known as Ceylon – was in 1832 and the Sri Lankan cricket team was first invited to play in the inaugural World Cup by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1975 before being awarded Test status in 1981.

Since this date the team has regularly competed at the top table of world cricket and produced some of the finest players of the late 20^th and early 21^st Centuries. The team went as far as winning the Cricket World Cup in 1996, easily dispatching the all-conquering Australian team which included the likes of Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Glenn McGrath. Sri Lanka is thus one of just five countries to have won the Cricket World Cup. Whilst the team has fallen to seventh in the ICC rankings as of May 2015, Sri Lanka remain a difficult country for visiting touring teams, though it is popular with visiting supporters as the crowd are naturally warm and welcoming.

Given the team’s success over the years, cricket unsurprisingly remains extremely popular to this day on the island. For visitors to the island there is the opportunity to both play and watch the sport. As cricket is popular in all regions of Sri Lanka, test matches move around the country, Galle International Stadium being one of the larger and more famous venues. In June 2015 Pakistan visit Sri Lanka and the first test will be played in Galle, on the island’s south coast. Visitors therefore have the opportunity to experience The Lions in person this year. Dynamic Lives has selected a number of private villas in Sri Lanka located on beachfront locations. Guests can take advantage of our exclusive driving services to get to and from the stadium in complete comfort for the ideal day trip on the island.