Sri Lanka is a country that has produced some of the greatest cricketers of all time. They are a team that was at their absolute peak from the 1980s till the middle of the 2010s. During that time, Sri Lanka was home to some of the best batters, Bowlers in the world. Currently, Sri Lanka are not the same force as they once were but this is a time to celebrate the greatness that is Sri Lankan Test Cricket.
Let’s look at the All Time Sri Lankan Test Cricket XI
Opening Batters
Sanath Jayasuriya
The first opening batsman for Sri Lanka will be Sanath Jayasuriya. He was one of those batters that for the time he played in Test Cricket he was absolutely destructive and he won Matches for Sri Lanka. He played 110 Test Matches and in those Matches he made 6973 runs. He had an average of 40.07. Sanath Jayasuriya had a highest score of 340 in Test Cricket. He has hit 14 hundreds in Test Cricket. He will be the attacking left handed batter at the top of the order. Certainly, he is one of the greatest Sri Lanka cricketer of all time
Marvan Atapattu
Marvan Atapattu is the second opening batsman in this team. He was also the captain for Sri Lanka for years. He can add the stability at the top of the order. He has played 90 Test Matches and he has scored 5502 runs at an average of 39.02. He has a highest score of 249 in Test Cricket. Marvan Atapattu will compliment Sanath Jayasuriya very well. He has made 16 hundreds in Test Cricket.
Middle Order
Kumar Sangakkara (WK)
At number 3 is probably one of the two greatest batters that Sri Lankan Cricket has ever seen. Kumar Sangakkara is one of the most prolific batters in history. He has played 134 Test Matches and he has scored 12400 runs. He has a very good average of 57.40 in Test Cricket. His highest score is 319 and he has 38 hundreds in Test Cricket. Kumar Sangakkara will also be the wicket Keeper of the team. He will provide the solidity at the number 3 position to the team. Have a look here at Best Innings of Kumar Sangakkara
Mahela Jayawardene
At number 4 is the other half of the greatest batting duo in the history of Sri Lankan Cricket. Mahela Jayawardene has played 149 Test Matches for Sri Lanka. He has made 11814 runs. Mahela Jayawardene has a highest score of 374 which is the 4th highest individual score in the history of Test Cricket. He has an average of 51.45 in Test Cricket. Mahela Jayawardene has made 34 hundreds in Test Cricket. He and Kumar Sangakkara can bat for long hours and frustrate the opposition. Read here about Best Innings of Mahela Jayawardene
Aravinda De Silva
At number 5 is Aravinda De Silva. He is the perfect number 5 and he has been one of the most consistent batters in Sri Lankan Cricket. He might not have the amount of runs that Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have made but he is important. He has played 93 Test Matches and he has made 6361 runs in Test Cricket. He has an average of 43.56 with 16 hundreds in Test Cricket. He has a highest score of 206* in Test Cricket. Aravinda De Solva will be the perfect number 5 and stay in the crease.
Arjuna Ranatunga (C)
At number 6 is the greatest captain that Sri Lankan Cricket has ever seen. Be it ODIs or Test Cricket, Arjuna Ranatunga has led Sri Lankan Cricket with distinction. He has played 93 Test Matches for Sri Lanka. In those Matches he has made 5105 runs at an average of 35.69. He has hit 4 hundreds in Test Cricket with a Highest score of 135*. He will be the batter that if needed can bat with the tail. He will also be the captain of this team.
Bowlers
Muttiah Muralitharan
The bowler with the most Wickets in Test Cricket has to be the first bowler to be selected in this team. Muttiah Muralitharan has almost every bowling record in Test Cricket. He has played 133 Test Matches and in those Matches he has taken a whopping 800 Test Wickets. He is 92 Wickets ahead from the number 2 on the all time list. He has taken 67 Five Wicket Hauls and 22 times he has taken 10 Wickets in a Test Match. He has best figures of 9/51 in an innings in Test Cricket. He has an incredible average of 22.72 while bowling. Read here for Best Bowling Performances by Muttiah Muralitharan in Test Cricket
Chaminda Vaas
One of the best fast bowlers that Sri Lankan Cricket has ever seen is Chaminda Vaas. He was among the best left arm fast bowlers of all time. He played 111 Test Matches for Sri Lanka. In those Matches he took 355 Wickets in Test Cricket. He took 12 Five Wicket Hauls in Test Cricket. He has a bowling average of 29.58. He will be the perfect leader of the bowling attack. He will be joined by fellow legendary Bowlers in this team.
Rangana Herath
This team will not be complete without the mention of this name. Rangana Herath is the best left arm spinner of the last 30 years. He has played 93 Test Matches for Sri Lanka. He took 433 wickets in those Matches at an average of 28.07. He took 34 Five Wicket Hauls and he took 10 Wickets in a Test Match 9 times. He has best bowling figures of 9/127 in his career. Rangana Herath will provide the ideal support to Muttiah Muralidaran in the spin bowling department.
Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga might not have played that many Test Matches but he has to be in this team. He is one of the greatest fast bowlers to have ever come out of Sri Lanka. He has played 30 Test Matches in his career in Test Cricket. In those Matches he took 101 Wickets in Test Cricket. He took 3 Five Wicket Hauls in Test Cricket. Lasith Malinga will be the right hand fast bowler and there will be variety with Chaminda Vaas being the left arm fast bowler in this team. Check here Best Bowling performances of Lasith Malinga
Rumesh Ratnayeke
He is the only player in this team that is from the 1960s. This choice shows that Sri Lankan Cricket has not had a lot of great fast bowling options in its history. They have had spinners who have been very good. Rumesh Ratnayeke had a short career in Test Cricket. He played 23 Test Matches for Sri Lanka. In those Matches he took 74 Wickets in Test Cricket. He took 5 Five Wicket Hauls with 6/66 being his best bowling figures in the format.
Also Read: Sri Lanka All-Time ODI XI
