The two favourites from Group D collide as Sri Lanka and South Africa open their group stage campaign in match 4 of T20 World Cup 2024 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, USA on Sunday (June 2).
Wanindu Hasaranga-led Sri Lanka will look to get off to a good start as they aim for their second World T20 title, while Aiden Markram’s South Africa will also look to get off to a winning start in their quest for an elusive ICC title.

The two teams, who are firm favourites to top their groups, are drawn alongside another unpredictable side in Bangladesh as well as two minnows in Nepal and Netherlands, who could surprise many teams on their day just like they did in 2022.
Both teams have played in every edition of the T20 World Cup since the tournament was organized first in 2007. While Sri Lanka managed to win the title in 2014 and finished runners up in 2009 and 2012, South Africa have reached only as far as the semi-final in two editions.
South Africa will be one of the favourites going into the 2024 edition, while Sri Lanka too will be outside favourites. The two sides will clash for the eighteenth time in T20 format and for the first time in the New York venue. Here is a look at the head to head numbers of SA vs SL:
In the 17 SA vs SL head to head meetings in T20Is, South Africa has been the dominant side, winning 12 times including a super over eliminator against Sri Lanka in T20Is. The Sri Lankans have beaten the Proteas just the five times so far.
South Africa is unbeaten against Sri Lanka in their last 7 meetings including the 2021 T20 World Cup clash. In the T20 World Cup head to head, the two sides have faced each other with South Africa winning 3 such encounters. Here is a look at the SL vs SA stats:
| STAT | For Sri Lanka vs South Africa | For South Africa vs Sri Lanka |
| Wins Batting 1st | 1 | 7 |
| Wins Chasing | 4 | 5 |
| Highest Total | 170 | 198 |
| Lowest Total | 103 | 98 |
| Highest Successful Chase | 170 | 163 |
| Lowest Total Defended | 119 | 115 |
| Most Runs | Dinesh Chandimal (197 runs) | Reeza Hendricks (322 runs) |
| Highest scorer | Isuru Udana (84*) | Faf Du Plessis (85) |
| Most Sixes | Isuru Udana (10 sixes) | JP Duminy (11 sixes) |
| Most Fours | Niroshan Dickwella (30 fours) | Quniton de Kock (38 fours) |
| Most wickets | Nuwan Kulasekara (10 wickets) | Imran Tahir (14 wickets) |
| Best Bowling | Lakshan Sandakan (4/23) | Lungi Ngidi (4/19) |
Sri Lanka and South Africa will face off in the first-ever official T20 international match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, a venue which has been temporarily built to stage the T20 World Cup 2024 matches.