Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report and Records
Covers 87 international matches at this ground from Dec 2010 to Feb 2026.
Bat second and you are usually ahead, says the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium pitch report: 23 men’s ODIs from 39 were won chasing, while teams setting a target won 14. Since Dec 2010 the ground outside Kandy, Sri Lanka, has staged 87 internationals in the data, made up of 9 Tests, 39 men’s ODIs, 36 T20Is and 3 women’s ODIs.
The latest, on 28 Feb 2026, was a 5-run T20I win for Pakistan over Sri Lanka. Below are average scores by innings, the biggest chases, the top performers and each country’s results.
Batting or Bowling at Pallekele: What the Averages Say
Strip out DLS games and 22 men’s ODIs remain. Openers in those have posted 257 on average and replies 214, yet chasers still come out ahead in the full ODI record, a sign that modest targets get knocked off. Three hundred is the biggest chase achieved, and 223 is the lowest score a team has won with. Over the latest ten ODIs the opening total has averaged 253, close to the long-run mark.
The 33 non-DLS T20Is are tighter, 17 wins setting a total to 15 chasing. The typical T20I opening score is 168, the typical reply 148. The T20I chasing record is 184, while 125 has proved enough to win. The ten most recent T20I openers sit at 166, almost identical to the overall figure.
Tests drift downward only slowly. Innings one averages 325, innings two 317, innings three 273 and innings four a healthy 242, and one side reached 382 to win batting last. Four of the 9 Tests were drawn. The toss has barely mattered, with 40 wins for toss winners from 77 decided games.
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium capacity and location
Capacity as published on the ground's Wikipedia page (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallekele_International_Cricket_Stadium). Figures change with redevelopment and temporary stands.
Ground
City
Country
Capacity
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Kandy
Sri Lanka
35,000
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Records by Format
Format
Matches
Won batting first
Won chasing
Avg 1st inns
First match
Latest match
Tests
9
–
–
–
1 Dec 2010
29 Apr 2021
ODIs
39
14
23
243
8 Mar 2011
8 Jul 2025
ODIs (women)
3
1
2
200
1 Jul 2022
7 Jul 2022
T20Is
36
17
15
167
6 Aug 2011
28 Feb 2026
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report: Average Scores and Chasing
Matches with a result decided by DLS are left out of this table. The last column shows the most recent ten first innings where there are enough matches.
Format
Matches
Avg 1st inns
Avg 2nd inns
Highest chased
Lowest defended
Avg 1st inns, last 10
ODIs
22
257
214
300
223
253
ODIs (women)
3
200
189
176
255
–
T20Is
33
168
148
184
125
166
Pallekele Test Scores by Innings
Format
Tests
1st inns
2nd inns
3rd inns
4th inns
Highest 4th-inns chase
Tests
8
325
317
273
242
382
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Tests records
Tests in this record book: 9, from Dec 2010 to Apr 2021.
Most runs
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
FDM Karunaratne Sri Lanka
6
11
713
244
64.82
56.59
3
3
AD Mathews Sri Lanka
8
15
413
122
31.77
48.36
1
2
DM de Silva Sri Lanka
4
7
329
166
47.00
58.75
1
1
LD Chandimal Sri Lanka
4
8
305
67
38.12
48.41
0
2
Tamim Iqbal Bangladesh
2
4
280
92
93.33
74.67
0
3
N Dickwella Sri Lanka
4
7
262
77*
43.67
90.66
0
1
Mominul Haque Bangladesh
2
4
231
127
77.00
42.62
1
0
BKG Mendis Sri Lanka
3
6
216
176
36.00
69.45
1
0
HDRL Thirimanne Sri Lanka
3
5
211
140
42.20
44.89
1
1
Younis Khan Pakistan
2
4
193
171*
64.33
54.52
1
0
Most wickets
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
HMRKB Herath Sri Lanka
3
5
20
5/54
14.80
2.11
1
PADLR Sandakan Sri Lanka
2
3
12
5/132
19.92
2.92
1
P Jayawickrama Sri Lanka
1
2
11
6/92
16.18
2.78
2
RAS Lakmal Sri Lanka
6
10
10
2/21
45.90
3.11
0
MJ Leach England
1
2
8
5/83
19.12
2.68
1
A Dananjaya Sri Lanka
1
2
8
6/115
24.38
5.00
1
Taskin Ahmed Bangladesh
2
3
8
4/127
33.12
3.88
0
MDK Perera Sri Lanka
3
5
8
4/61
33.25
3.31
0
Taijul Islam Bangladesh
2
3
8
5/72
39.75
3.11
1
Yasir Shah Pakistan
1
2
7
5/78
22.57
2.48
1
Highest individual scores
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Against
Date
FDM Karunaratne Sri Lanka
244
437
26
0
Bangladesh
21 Apr 2021
BKG Mendis Sri Lanka
176
254
21
1
Australia
26 Jul 2016
Younis Khan Pakistan
171*
271
18
0
Sri Lanka
3 Jul 2015
DM de Silva Sri Lanka
166
291
22
0
Bangladesh
21 Apr 2021
Nazmul Hossain Shanto Bangladesh
163
378
17
1
Sri Lanka
21 Apr 2021
Best bowling figures
Bowler
Figures
Overs
Against
Date
P Jayawickrama Sri Lanka
6/92
32
Bangladesh
29 Apr 2021
A Dananjaya Sri Lanka
6/115
25
England
14 Nov 2018
HMRKB Herath Sri Lanka
5/54
33.3
Australia
26 Jul 2016
Imran Khan (2) Pakistan
5/58
20.4
Sri Lanka
3 Jul 2015
Junaid Khan Pakistan
5/70
28.2
Sri Lanka
8 Jul 2012
Highest totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
Sri Lanka
648/8
179
Bangladesh
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
21 Apr 2021
Bangladesh
541/7
173
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
21 Apr 2021
Sri Lanka
493/7
159.2
Bangladesh
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
29 Apr 2021
India
487
122.3
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
12 Aug 2017
Australia
411/7
132
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
8 Sep 2011
Lowest all-out totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
Sri Lanka
117
34.2
Australia
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
26 Jul 2016
Sri Lanka
135
37.4
India
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
12 Aug 2017
Australia
161
88.3
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
26 Jul 2016
Sri Lanka
174
64.1
Australia
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
8 Sep 2011
Sri Lanka
181
74.3
India
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
12 Aug 2017
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium ODIs records
ODIs in this record book: 39, from Mar 2011 to Jul 2025.
Most runs
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
TM Dilshan Sri Lanka
15
15
939
144
78.25
90.03
5
2
BKG Mendis Sri Lanka
19
19
624
124
39.00
89.66
1
4
KIC Asalanka Sri Lanka
11
11
474
77
52.67
90.98
0
6
KC Sangakkara Sri Lanka
12
12
429
112
39.00
82.34
1
2
LD Chandimal Sri Lanka
16
16
385
75
25.67
68.26
0
1
WU Tharanga Sri Lanka
13
13
354
133
27.23
85.30
1
0
P Nissanka Sri Lanka
9
9
349
75
38.78
87.03
0
4
MD Shanaka Sri Lanka
10
10
346
102
43.25
108.12
1
2
NLTC Perera Sri Lanka
14
14
338
65
28.17
109.39
0
2
MDKJ Perera Sri Lanka
9
9
317
68
35.22
113.21
0
4
Most wickets
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
SL Malinga Sri Lanka
16
16
24
4/24
27.29
5.46
0
NLTC Perera Sri Lanka
16
16
18
6/44
32.39
6.29
1
PWH de Silva Sri Lanka
6
6
13
4/40
16.62
4.95
0
BAW Mendis Sri Lanka
6
6
13
4/51
18.15
4.83
0
JDF Vandersay Sri Lanka
7
7
13
4/10
18.23
4.63
0
A Dananjaya Sri Lanka
6
6
13
6/54
20.23
5.98
1
TM Dilshan Sri Lanka
9
9
13
4/4
21.62
4.31
0
AD Mathews Sri Lanka
16
16
12
4/59
35.25
4.70
0
M Theekshana Sri Lanka
11
11
11
3/25
31.00
4.10
0
JJ Bumrah India
2
2
9
5/27
7.78
3.50
1
Pallekele Stadium Highest Score in ODIs
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Against
Date
TM Dilshan Sri Lanka
144
131
16
1
Zimbabwe
10 Mar 2011
WU Tharanga Sri Lanka
133
141
17
0
Zimbabwe
10 Mar 2011
LRPL Taylor New Zealand
131*
124
8
7
Pakistan
8 Mar 2011
TM Dilshan Sri Lanka
125
128
12
0
Bangladesh
28 Mar 2013
BKG Mendis Sri Lanka
124
114
18
0
Bangladesh
8 Jul 2025
Best bowling figures
Bowler
Figures
Overs
Against
Date
MG Johnson Australia
6/31
10
Sri Lanka
10 Aug 2011
NLTC Perera Sri Lanka
6/44
10
Pakistan
9 Jun 2012
CR Woakes England
6/47
8
Sri Lanka
10 Dec 2014
A Dananjaya Sri Lanka
6/54
10
India
24 Aug 2017
JJ Bumrah India
5/27
10
Sri Lanka
27 Aug 2017
Highest ODI Totals at Pallekele
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
South Africa
363/7
50
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
5 Aug 2018
Sri Lanka
327/6
50
Zimbabwe
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
10 Mar 2011
Sri Lanka
307
50
West Indies
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
1 Mar 2020
Sri Lanka
306/7
39
South Africa
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
8 Aug 2018
New Zealand
302/7
50
Pakistan
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
8 Mar 2011
Lowest all-out totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
Zimbabwe
70
24.4
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
21 Jan 2022
Bangladesh
164
42.4
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
31 Aug 2023
Sri Lanka
167
43.2
South Africa
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
26 Jul 2013
South Africa
180
38.1
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
9 Jul 2014
Bangladesh
186
39.4
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
8 Jul 2025
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium T20Is records
T20Is in this record book: 36, from Aug 2011 to Feb 2026.
Most runs
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
BKG Mendis Sri Lanka
16
16
526
79
32.88
133.84
0
4
MDKJ Perera Sri Lanka
14
14
415
66
29.64
133.87
0
4
P Nissanka Sri Lanka
12
12
411
100*
37.36
151.10
1
1
TM Dilshan Sri Lanka
10
10
334
104*
47.71
142.13
1
3
MD Shanaka Sri Lanka
14
14
292
76*
29.20
162.22
0
3
DPMD Jayawardene Sri Lanka
7
7
277
86
46.17
131.90
0
2
BB McCullum New Zealand
6
6
213
123
35.50
148.95
1
0
P Rathnayake Sri Lanka
6
6
199
60
39.80
168.64
0
2
LRPL Taylor New Zealand
8
8
199
62*
33.17
141.13
0
1
GJ Maxwell Australia
3
3
183
145*
91.50
205.62
1
0
Most wickets
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
SL Malinga Sri Lanka
12
12
18
5/6
19.33
7.40
2
M Theekshana Sri Lanka
11
11
14
3/28
21.50
7.34
0
A Dananjaya Sri Lanka
6
6
12
3/36
13.42
7.67
0
TG Southee New Zealand
8
8
12
3/16
16.50
6.60
0
PVD Chameera Sri Lanka
7
7
12
5/24
19.75
9.48
1
BAW Mendis Sri Lanka
5
5
10
6/16
13.60
7.16
1
M Pathirana Sri Lanka
7
7
10
4/40
16.40
7.75
0
PWH de Silva Sri Lanka
10
10
10
2/21
30.20
8.47
0
LA Dawson England
5
5
9
3/24
15.44
6.95
0
KMDN Kulasekara Sri Lanka
8
8
9
2/13
25.44
7.63
0
Pallekele Highest Individual Score in T20Is
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Against
Date
GJ Maxwell Australia
145*
65
14
9
Sri Lanka
6 Sep 2016
BB McCullum New Zealand
123
58
11
7
Bangladesh
21 Sep 2012
TM Dilshan Sri Lanka
104*
57
12
5
Australia
6 Aug 2011
HC Brook England
100
51
10
4
Pakistan
24 Feb 2026
P Nissanka Sri Lanka
100*
52
10
5
Australia
16 Feb 2026
Best bowling figures
Bowler
Figures
Overs
Against
Date
BAW Mendis Sri Lanka
6/16
4
Australia
8 Aug 2011
SL Malinga Sri Lanka
5/6
4
New Zealand
6 Sep 2019
PVD Chameera Sri Lanka
5/24
4
England
3 Feb 2026
O Thomas West Indies
5/28
3
Sri Lanka
4 Mar 2020
SL Malinga Sri Lanka
5/31
4
England
1 Oct 2012
Pallekele Stadium Highest T20 Totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
Australia
263/3
20
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
6 Sep 2016
Sri Lanka
225/5
20
Oman
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
12 Feb 2026
Sri Lanka
215/3
20
West Indies
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
9 Nov 2015
India
213/7
20
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
27 Jul 2024
Pakistan
212/8
20
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
28 Feb 2026
Lowest all-out totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
New Zealand
88
16
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
6 Sep 2019
Sri Lanka
95
16.4
England
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
22 Feb 2026
Oman
104
16.2
Australia
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
20 Feb 2026
Sri Lanka
116
18
India
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
7 Aug 2012
Sri Lanka
116
19.3
England
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
3 Feb 2026
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium ODIs (women) records
ODIs in this record book: 3, from Jul 2022 to Jul 2022.
Most runs
Batter
M
Inns
Runs
HS
Avg
SR
100s
50s
Shafali Verma India
3
3
155
71*
77.50
96.27
0
1
NND de Silva Sri Lanka
3
3
123
48*
61.50
66.85
0
0
H Kaur India
2
2
119
75
59.50
78.81
0
1
S Mandhana India
3
3
104
94*
52.00
94.55
0
1
P Vastrakar India
2
2
77
56*
–
91.67
0
1
Most wickets
Bowler
M
Inns
Wkts
Best
Avg
Econ
5w
Renuka Singh India
3
3
7
4/28
12.86
3.75
0
DB Sharma India
3
3
6
3/25
17.00
3.80
0
I Ranaweera Sri Lanka
3
3
6
4/39
17.17
3.96
0
P Vastrakar India
3
3
4
2/26
18.50
4.62
0
RS Gayakwad India
3
3
4
3/36
23.25
3.21
0
Highest individual scores
Batter
Score
Balls
4s
6s
Against
Date
S Mandhana India
94*
83
11
1
Sri Lanka
4 Jul 2022
H Kaur India
75
88
7
2
Sri Lanka
7 Jul 2022
Shafali Verma India
71*
71
4
1
Sri Lanka
4 Jul 2022
P Vastrakar India
56*
65
0
3
Sri Lanka
7 Jul 2022
Shafali Verma India
49
50
5
0
Sri Lanka
7 Jul 2022
Best bowling figures
Bowler
Figures
Overs
Against
Date
Renuka Singh India
4/28
10
Sri Lanka
4 Jul 2022
I Ranaweera Sri Lanka
4/39
10
India
1 Jul 2022
DB Sharma India
3/25
8.2
Sri Lanka
1 Jul 2022
Renuka Singh India
3/29
6
Sri Lanka
1 Jul 2022
RS Gayakwad India
3/36
10
Sri Lanka
7 Jul 2022
Highest totals
Team
Total
Overs
Against
Venue
Date
India
255/9
50
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
7 Jul 2022
Sri Lanka
216
47.3
India
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
7 Jul 2022
India
176/6
38
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
1 Jul 2022
India
174/0
25.4
Sri Lanka
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
4 Jul 2022
Sri Lanka
173
50
India
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
4 Jul 2022
Team Results at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Team
Matches
Won
Lost
Drawn
Tied/NR
Sri Lanka
72
33
31
4
4
New Zealand
15
4
7
0
4
England
13
10
3
0
0
Australia
12
5
6
1
0
Pakistan
12
6
4
1
1
West Indies
12
4
6
1
1
India
10
8
0
0
2
Bangladesh
9
1
7
1
0
South Africa
5
2
3
0
0
Zimbabwe
5
1
4
0
0
Latest matches at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Match
Date
Venue
Result
Pakistan v Sri Lanka
28 Feb 2026
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Pakistan won by 5 runs
Pakistan v England
24 Feb 2026
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
England won by 2 wickets
England v Sri Lanka
22 Feb 2026
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
England won by 51 runs
Oman v Australia
20 Feb 2026
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Australia won by 9 wickets
Australia v Sri Lanka
16 Feb 2026
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
Sri Lanka v Oman
12 Feb 2026
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sri Lanka won by 105 runs
England v Sri Lanka
3 Feb 2026
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
England won by 12 runs
Sri Lanka v England
1 Feb 2026
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
England won by 6 wickets (DLS)
Sri Lanka v England
30 Jan 2026
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
England won by 11 runs (DLS)
Bangladesh v Sri Lanka
10 Jul 2025
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
Pallekele's Leading Batters and Bowlers
Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka) owns the ODI batting records here: 939 runs averaging 78.25, the top score of 144 against Zimbabwe in Mar 2011 and 5 ODI match awards. Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka) has 713 Test runs, including 244 against Bangladesh in Apr 2021 as Sri Lanka piled up 648/8. The T20I leader with 526 is Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka), shown in the tables as BKG Mendis.
Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) has more white-ball wickets than anyone here, 24 in ODIs and 18 in T20Is. His 5/6 in Sep 2019 sent New Zealand tumbling to 88. In Tests, Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka) claimed 20 victims for 14.80 each.
Glenn Maxwell (Australia) smashed an unbeaten 145 from 65 balls in Sep 2016 as Australia reached 263/3, the ground’s T20I record.
How Each Team Has Fared at Pallekele
Sri Lanka’s home ledger reads 72 played, 33 won, 31 lost; draws and no results account for the other 8. India are unbeaten at Pallekele in the record book: 8 wins plus 2 games unfinished, and England have won 10 of 13, including four straight victories over Sri Lanka from 30 Jan to 22 Feb 2026.
Bangladesh (1 win in 9) and Zimbabwe (1 in 5) have struggled. Zimbabwe were skittled for 70 in Jan 2022, the ground’s lowest ODI score.
Questions about Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Is the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium pitch good for batting or bowling?
Mostly a batting surface on these numbers. Without DLS games, the first innings in an ODI is worth 257 on average, and 168 in a T20I, and even Test fourth innings come to 242. Bowlers have their days, though: a T20I side once won from 125.
What is the highest score at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium?
Sri Lanka’s 648/8 against Bangladesh in an Apr 2021 Test is the biggest team score, and Dimuth Karunaratne’s 244 in that same match the best individual one. In white-ball cricket, Australia hold the T20I high of 263/3 and South Africa the ODI high of 363/7.
Is Pallekele better for batting first or chasing?
For ODIs, chase: 23 wins against 14, with 300 the biggest target reached. T20Is are tighter, 17 wins setting a target and 15 chasing one.
Who won the most recent international at Pallekele?
Pakistan. They posted 212/8 and held on to beat Sri Lanka by 5 runs in the T20I of 28 Feb 2026.
What is the seating capacity of Pallekele International Cricket Stadium?
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium holds about 35,000 spectators, going by its published capacity. Capacity can change after redevelopment or when temporary stands are added for big events.