Quick answer
The Sri Lanka v Australia cricket rivalry began with a one-off Test at Asgiriya, Kandy, in 1983, which Australia won. It grew tense in the 1990s, peaked when Sri Lanka beat Australia in the 1996 World Cup final in Lahore, and became a spin duel between Shane Warne, who took his 500th Test wicket at Galle in 2004, and Muttiah Muralitharan. Since 2007, Test series have been played for the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy.
Key takeaways
- Australia played its first Test in Sri Lanka at Asgiriya, Kandy, in 1983.
- Sri Lanka beat Australia in the 1996 World Cup final in Lahore, the country's greatest cricket moment.
- Shane Warne took his 500th Test wicket at Galle in March 2004, during a 3-0 Australian series win.
- Test series between the two countries have been played for the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy since 2007.
- Sri Lanka beat Australia 3-0 in a home Test series in 2016.
The early years, 1983 to 1992
Sri Lanka and Australia first met in Test cricket in April 1983, in a one-off Test at Asgiriya in Kandy, only a year after Sri Lanka gained Test status. Australia won comfortably, and for the next decade the matches were mostly one-sided.
Australia's 1992 tour was closer. In the first Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, Sri Lanka looked set to win until Australia's bowlers, including a young Shane Warne, took the last wickets for a 16-run victory. It was an early sign of Warne's talent.
Both grounds still stand: Asgiriya as Trinity College's ground in Kandy, and the SSC as one of Colombo's Test venues.
- →1983: first Test, Asgiriya, Kandy.
- →1992: a 16-run Australian win at the SSC.
- →Both grounds can be visited.
The tense 1990s and 1996
Relations between the two teams became tense in the mid-1990s. During Sri Lanka's 1995-96 tour of Australia, Muttiah Muralitharan was called for throwing by an umpire, and the series was marked by disputes on and off the field. The controversy over Murali's action continued for years before he was cleared.
Weeks later, at the 1996 World Cup, Sri Lanka beat Australia in the final in Lahore, led by Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda de Silva, who scored a century. It remains Sri Lanka's greatest cricket moment, and Sri Lankan fans still mention it, usually with a smile, to visiting Australians.
In 1999, Sri Lanka won its first Test series against Australia, with victory at Kandy in a match remembered for the collision between Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie.
- →1995-96: tensions in Australia.
- →1996: World Cup final win for Sri Lanka.
- →1999: Sri Lanka's first series win over Australia.
Warne, Murali and Galle 2004
The 2004 tour was Australia's most successful in Sri Lanka, with a 3-0 Test win at Galle, Kandy and the SSC. At Galle, in March 2004, Shane Warne took his 500th Test wicket, the second bowler to reach the milestone, and he took ten or more wickets in each of the first two Tests.
The series was also a duel between the two greatest spinners of the era, Warne and Muralitharan, who went on to take 708 and 800 Test wickets respectively. In 2007, the two boards named the Test series between the countries the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy in their honour.
Lankan Stays & Trails often walks cricket fans round Galle Fort's ramparts above the ground where Warne reached 500, as part of a Galle Test trip.
- →2004: Australia won 3-0.
- →Galle: Warne's 500th wicket.
- →2007: the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy.
Recent series
Recent Test series have swung both ways. Australia won 1-0 in 2011. In 2016, Sri Lanka won 3-0, with their spinners dominating on turning pitches at Pallekele, Galle and the SSC. In 2022, the series in Galle was drawn 1-1, and in early 2025, Australia won 2-0, again at Galle.
In limited-overs cricket, the two sides have met in many tri-series and World Cups, including the 2007 World Cup final in Barbados, which Australia won.
- →2011: Australia 1-0.
- →2016: Sri Lanka 3-0.
- →2022: 1-1; 2025: Australia 2-0.
The places to see
For travelling fans, the history is easy to find. In Kandy, Asgiriya, Trinity College's ground, is where it all began. In Colombo, the SSC and the P Sara Oval have hosted many Tests between the sides. Galle International Stadium, beneath the fort, is where Warne took his 500th wicket and where most recent Australian Tests have been played.
Pallekele, near Kandy, has hosted Australian Tests in 2011 and 2016, and the R Premadasa Stadium has hosted many of the white-ball games.
Frequently asked questions
When did Australia first play a Test in Sri Lanka?
Australia first played a Test in Sri Lanka in April 1983, a one-off match at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy, which Australia won. Sri Lanka had gained Test status a year earlier. Asgiriya is now Trinity College's ground and can sometimes be visited.
Who won the 1996 World Cup final?
Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup final, beating Australia by seven wickets in Lahore, Pakistan. Aravinda de Silva scored an unbeaten century and Arjuna Ranatunga captained the side. It remains Sri Lanka's greatest cricket moment and is still a proud topic for Sri Lankan fans.
Where did Shane Warne take his 500th Test wicket?
Shane Warne took his 500th Test wicket at Galle International Stadium in March 2004, during the first Test of Australia's 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka. He was the second bowler to reach 500 Test wickets, after West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh.
What is the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy?
The Warne-Muralitharan Trophy is awarded to the winner of Test series between Australia and Sri Lanka. It was introduced in 2007, named after Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan, two of the greatest spin bowlers in history, who took 708 and 800 Test wickets respectively.
Has Sri Lanka ever beaten Australia in a Test series?
Sri Lanka has beaten Australia in home Test series, including in 1999, their first series win over Australia, and in 2016, when they won 3-0, with spinners dominating at Pallekele, Galle and the SSC. Australia has won most other series between the two.
What happened in the 2016 Australian tour of Sri Lanka?
In 2016, Sri Lanka beat Australia 3-0 in the Test series, with spinners such as Rangana Herath dominating on turning pitches at Pallekele, Galle and the Sinhalese Sports Club. It was one of Sri Lanka's best home series and a hard tour for Australia.
Which cricket history sites can you visit in Sri Lanka?
You can visit Asgiriya in Kandy, where Australia played its first Test in Sri Lanka; the SSC and P Sara Oval in Colombo; Galle International Stadium, where Warne took his 500th wicket; and Pallekele, near Kandy. Galle's fort ramparts give the best view of a historic ground.