# The 19 Greatest Sri Lanka Cricketers of All Time

> Spin wizards, unflappable run machines and a pace attack with a slingshot action all made the cut. An island side that punched far above its size.

*By YPB Team · Published October 31, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-19-greatest-sri-lanka-cricketers-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Muttiah Muralitharan** — score 1000/1000
   Off-spinner with a world-record 800 Test and 534 ODI wickets, and a 1996 World Cup winner.
2. **Kumar Sangakkara** — score 861/1000
   Elegant left-handed wicketkeeper-batter who scored over 12,400 Test runs at an average above 57.
3. **Tillakaratne Dilshan** — score 498/1000
   Inventive opener, creator of the 'Dilscoop', and a key figure of the 2014 World T20 triumph.
4. **Thisara Perera** — score 498/1000
   Big-hitting all-rounder who hit the winning six in the 2014 World T20 final.
5. **Chamari Athapaththu** — score 498/1000
   Sri Lanka's greatest women's batter and captain, with a record 178* against Australia and the 2024 Asia Cup title.
6. **Udeshika Prabodhani** — score 440/1000
   Left-arm seamer who became the first Sri Lankan to top the ICC T20I bowling rankings.
7. **Shashikala Siriwardene** — score 440/1000
   All-rounder and former captain, the only Sri Lankan woman with 100 ODI wickets.
8. **Dimuth Karunaratne** — score 372/1000
   Prolific Test opener and captain who led Sri Lanka to a historic 2019 series win in South Africa.
9. **Chaminda Vaas** — score 372/1000
   Left-arm swing bowler and Sri Lanka's greatest seamer, with over 750 international wickets.
10. **Marvan Atapattu** — score 293/1000
   Resilient opener who recovered from a run of ducks to score six Test double centuries.
11. **Mahela Jayawardene** — score 293/1000
   Classy batter and captain whose 374 against South Africa remains Sri Lanka's highest Test score.
12. **Angelo Mathews** — score 293/1000
   Long-serving all-rounder and captain who anchored Sri Lanka's batting for over 15 years.
13. **Prabath Jayasuriya** — score 293/1000
   Left-arm spinner who reached 50 Test wickets faster than almost anyone in history.
14. **Harshitha Samarawickrama** — score 293/1000
   Batter whose unbeaten 69 won the 2024 Women's Asia Cup final against India.
15. **Nuwan Kulasekara** — score 293/1000
   Accurate seamer who once topped the ICC ODI bowling rankings and won the 2014 World T20.
16. **Sanath Jayasuriya** — score 200/1000
   Explosive opener and spinning all-rounder who redefined ODI batting and was the 1996 World Cup's player of the tournament.
17. **Wanindu Hasaranga** — score 200/1000
   Leg-spinning all-rounder who rose to No. 1 in the ICC T20I bowling rankings.
18. **Dinesh Chandimal** — score 0/1000
   Wicketkeeper-batter and former Test captain with over 5,000 Test runs and the 2014 World T20 title.
19. **Lasith Malinga** — score 0/1000
   Sling-arm yorker specialist who took four wickets in four balls twice and captained the 2014 World T20 win.

Tags: players, national teams, cricket, sri lanka