Sam Curran turned the second England bowler to take a hat-trick in males’s T20 internationals as his aspect beat Sri Lanka by 11 runs on DLS in a rain-reduced sequence opener in Pallekele.
Curran (3-38), whose first two overs within the 17-over-a-side contest had been collared for a mixed 35 runs, had Dasun Shanaka (20 off 16) and Maheesh Theekshana (0) caught off successive balls earlier than then bowling Matheesha Pathirana (0).
The 27-year-old’s hat-trick, which got here within the sixteenth over of the innings, matched the feat of Surrey team-mate Chris Jordan, who claimed three wickets in three balls for England throughout a match towards USA in Barbados through the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka plummeted from 129-6 to 129-9 throughout Curran’s burst and had been then rolled for 133 two balls later when Jamie Overton (2-17) polished off the innings by cleansing up Wanindu Hasaranga (14), with the hosts having imploded from 76-2 after seven overs.
Sri Lanka misplaced 5 wickets in as many overs, all to the spin of Adil Rashid (3-19) or Liam Dawson (2-31), as soon as Pathum Nissanka (23 off 20) – who looted 52 off 28 balls with Kusal Mendis (37 off 20) for the second wicket – top-edged Rashid behind to Jos Buttler on the England wicketkeeper’s record-equalling 401st look for his nation throughout the codecs, matching James Anderson.
The house aspect had been left to rue that hunch and in addition dropping Phil Salt (46 off 35) on 17 within the chase – Kamil Mishara with a surprising blunder at deep midwicket – as England reached 125-4 from 15 overs earlier than a match-ending downpour, with Tom Bannon having muscled 29 from 15 balls and Harry Brook 16no off 18.
Phil Salt helped England ease to their goal in ?
Salt and opening companion Buttler (17 off 10) clubbed 37 runs in 2.5 overs earlier than the previous was bowled by Eshan Malinga (2-24) having clobbered the seamer for 4 consecutive boundaries, with Malinga additionally accounting for Jacob Bethell (9 off 11), caught within the covers.
England will now look to wrap up a sequence win with victory in Sunday’s second T20 forward of the ultimate recreation on Tuesday, earlier than each side flip their consideration to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka from February 7, a match dwell on Sky Sports activities.
Extra to observe.
Liam Dawson, England, T20 cricket (PA Pictures)
England in Sri Lanka – outcomes and fixtures
All occasions UK and Eire
England’s T20 World Cup fixtures (first spherical)
All occasions UK and Eire; all video games dwell on Sky Sports activities
- vs Nepal (Sunday February 8) – Mumbai (9.30am)
- vs West Indies (Wednesday February 11) – Mumbai (1.30pm)
- vs Scotland (Saturday February 14) – Kolkata (9.30am)
- vs Italy (Monday February 16) – Kolkata (9.30am)
