Sri Lanka Records: Most runs in test matches for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has been a dominant side in international cricket. Over the years, the island nation has produced some of the best sides in test cricket. Sri Lankan batters have dominated the test batting records. In this article, we will take a look at the players with the most runs in test matches for Sri Lanka.

Most runs in test matches for Sri Lanka

Player	Career	Matches	Innings	Runs	Highest Score	Average	100s	50s
Kumar Sangakkara	2000-2015	134	233	12400	319	57.40	38	52
Mahela Jayawardene	1997-2014	149	252	11814	374	49.84	34	50
Angelo Mathews	2009-Present	106	188	7361	200*	45.43	15	40
Sanath Jayasuriya	1991-2007	110	188	6973	340	40.07	14	31
Dimuth Karunaratne	2012-Present	88	168	6631	244	40.93	16	34
Aravinda de Silva	1984-2002	93	159	6361	267	42.97	20	22
Marvan Atapattu	1990-2007	90	156	5502	249	39.02	16	17
Tillakaratne Dilshan	1999-2013	87	145	5492	193	40.98	16	23
Thilan Samaraweera	2001-2013	81	132	5462	231	48.76	14	30
Dinesh Chandimal	2011-Present	76	137	5295	206*	43.40	14	25

Kumar Sangakkara

Probably the best batter Sri Lanka ever produced, Kumar Sangakkara sits at the top of the list for the most runs in test cricket for Sri Lanka. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 12,400 runs in red-ball cricket at an average of 57.40. Sangakkara’s average of 57.40 is the highest among Sri Lankan batters with at least 100 runs. Sangakkara along with his middle-order partner, Mahela Jayawardene was often the difference between Sri Lanka and the opposition team. His batting prowess helped Sri Lanka avoid defeats and many times even registered some famous wins.

Sangakkara’s highest score of 319 runs came against Bangladesh in 2014 at Chattogram. In the first innings of the match, Sangakkara scored his triple-century while none of the other Sri Lankan batters even registered a three-digit score.

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Mahela Jayawardene

Mahela Jayawardene is just 586 runs behind Sangakkara on the list. Jayawardene scored 11,814 runs in test cricket at an average of 49.84. He too along with Sangakkara had been at the helm of the middle order for a long time. Jayawardene’s best came in when he was leading his side. While he was the captain of Sri Lanka, Jayawardene scored 3,665 runs in 38 matches at an average of 59.11.

Even his highest score of 374 came when he was the captain against South Africa in Colombo in 2006. Jayawardene shared a record-624-run stand for the third wicket with Sangakkara who himself scored 287 runs.

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Angelo Mathews

Nowhere near Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews with 7361 runs has the third-most runs for Sri Lanka in test cricket. Mathews’ runs came at a healthy average of 45.43. The Sri Lankan all-rounder is still an active player and can score a few more runs but it looks highly unlikely that he will be able to replace Jayawardene in the second place.

Mathews’s highest score of 200* came against Zimbabwe in 2020 at Harare. Mathews’ double-century helped Sri Lanka in winning the match by 10 wickets.

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Sanath Jayasuriya

One of the most fearsome openers of his time, Sanath Jayasuriya ranks fourth for the most runs in test cricket for Sri Lanka. Jayasuriya scored 6,973 runs at an average of 40.07. Along with his batting prowess, the left-handed opener also took 98 wickets in the longest format.

Jayasuriya’s highest score of 340 came against India in a run-fest at Colombo where both teams scored close to 1500 runs for the loss of just 14 wickets across two innings.

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Dimuth Karunaratne

Jayasuriya is followed by the current Sri Lankan opener, Dimuth Karunaratne. The 35-year-old has scored 6,631 runs in his test career so far at an average of 40.93. Karunaratne is still playing and will fancy himself to overtake Jayasuriya on this list.

Karunaratne’s highest score of 244 runs came when he was leading the side against a touring Bangladesh side. His knock of 244 helped Sri Lanka recover from a difficult position and draw the match against the visitors.

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Aravinda de Silva

Another Sri Lankan great, Aravinda de Silva was one of the better batters of his generation. De Silva is famous for his match-winning knocks in the 1996 World Cup final and semi-final including a match-winning century in the final against Australia. De Silva was a great batter in test cricket too if not better. He scored 6,361 in test cricket at an average of 42.97. His highest score of 267 runs came against New Zealand at Wellington in 1991.

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Marvan Atapattu

Marvan Atapattu is another opener to make this list. The right-handed batter scored 5,502 runs in test cricket at an average of 39.02. Atapattu makes it into the list despite his 22 ducks in tests. His highest score of 249 came against Zimbabwe helping Sri Lanka to register a win by an innings and 254 runs.

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Tillakaratne Dilshan

Tillakaratne Dilshan is majorly known for his heroics in white ball cricket, especially ODIs where he scored over 10,000 runs. In tests, Dilshan scored 5,492 runs at an average of 40.98. Dilshan’s highest score of 193 runs came against England at Lord’s.

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Thilan Samaraweera

The numbers do not do justice to the impact Thilan Samaraweera had on test matches. Despite scoring 5,462 runs at an average of 48.76 it was his resilience and defence that helped his teammates to bat around him as wore down the opposition’s bowlers. His highest score of 231 resulted in a drawn test at Lahore during the first test of the infamous Sri Lankan tour of Pakistan in 2009.

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Dinesh Chandimal

Dinesh Chandimal with his 5,295 runs at an average of 43.40 completes this list of the most runs in test matches for Sri Lanka. Still playing, Chandimal has a great chance to overtake the likes of Samaraweera, Dilshan and Atapattu. His highest score of 206* helped Sri Lanka register a win by an innings and 39 runs.