The Sri Lanka–Afghanistan rivalry has heated up in the last 10 years. What was once a one-sided affair has become a real contest with Afghanistan pushing Sri Lanka hard in all formats. Ahead of their Asia Cup 2025 match, let’s look at their head-to-head record and how this rivalry has changed.
Head-to-Head Record (2014–2025) Overall
| Format | Matches | Sri Lanka Wins | Afghanistan Wins | No Result/Tied |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| T20Is | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 24 | 16 | 7 | 1 |
Sri Lanka still leads overall but Afghanistan’s improvement especially in ODIs and T20s has made this a much closer contest.
Asia Cup Matches: Head to Head record
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have played each other 5 times in the Asia Cup (ODIs and T20s). Sri Lanka has a narrow 3-2 lead but each game has been exciting:
2014: Sri Lanka won easily by 129 runs.
2018: Afghanistan surprised everyone with a 91-run victory.
2022 (T20): The teams split the series 1-1 with Sri Lanka winning the Super Four match.
2023: Sri Lanka won a close game by 2 runs in a high-scoring ODI.
The 2025 match could decide who dominates this Asia Cup rivalry.
Top performers
ODIs
| Category | Player | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest Score | Pathum Nissanka | SL | 210 |
| Highest Score | Ibrahim Zadran | AFG | 162 |
| Best Bowling | Thisara Perera | SL | 5/55 |
| Best Bowling | Mohammad Nabi | AFG | 4/30 |
Nissanka has been great in ODIs while Zadran is Afghanistan’s most reliable batter.
T20Is
| Category | Player | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most Runs | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | AFG | 248 |
| Best Bowling | Nuwan Thushara | SL | 4/17 |
| Best Bowling | Fazalhaq Farooqi | AFG | 3/11 |
Gurbaz’s hitting and Farooqi’s bowling make them key players for Afghanistan in T20s.
Test Match
The two teams played one Test match in February 2024 which Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets.
Key moments:
Angelo Mathews scored 141 for Sri Lanka.
Ibrahim Zadran scored 114 for Afghanistan.
Prabath Jayasuriya took 8 wickets.
This Test showed that Afghanistan can compete in the longer format.
Asia Cup 2025 Expectations
Sri Lanka’s Strengths: Strong middle-order and good spinners.
Afghanistan’s Edge: Strong batting from Gurbaz and Zadran, plus a great spin attack led by Rashid Khan and Nabi.
Their past matches have been close so this one should be exciting. Sri Lanka might have the better history but Afghanistan has gotten much closer.
The Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan rivalry is now unpredictable. With good players on both sides their Asia Cup 2025 match should be a highlight. Sri Lanka has the numbers but anything can happen. This is a match you won’t want to miss.
