In a dramatic opening to their T20 series, England secured an 11-run victory over Sri Lanka through the DLS method in a rain-interrupted match at Pallekele on Friday. The encounter was highlighted by fast bowler Sam Curran’s extraordinary hat-trick, making him only the second Englishman to achieve this feat in T20 internationals.
The match was significantly affected by weather conditions, with Sri Lanka’s innings limited to 17 overs before they were all out for 133. England appeared to be comfortably heading toward victory when rain interrupted their chase after 15 overs, with the scoreboard reading 125-4. The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method ultimately determined England’s winning margin.
Curran’s performance represented a remarkable turnaround after his initial two overs proved expensive, conceding 35 runs. However, the left-arm seamer staged a spectacular recovery during his final over, claiming three consecutive wickets to complete his hat-trick and finishing with figures of 3-38. This achievement places him alongside Chris Jordan, who recorded England’s only previous men’s T20 hat-trick against the United States during the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka had initially built a strong foundation, reaching 76-1 within seven overs thanks to aggressive batting from Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka. However, England’s spin duo of Adil Rashid (3-19) and Liam Dawson (2-31) systematically dismantled the middle order, setting the stage for Curran’s historic final over.
England’s chase began explosively with Phil Salt aggressively targeting the Sri Lankan bowlers, particularly Maheesh Theekshana whom he struck for 6-4-4 off the first three deliveries. Captain Jos Buttler continued the momentum with four consecutive boundaries against fast bowler Eshan Malinga.
Despite Salt’s dominant 46 runs from 35 balls, Sri Lanka’s fielding performance proved substandard. The opener received two reprieves—dropped on 17 off Wanindu Hasaranga’s bowling and again on 41 when Nissanka failed to hold a catch off Matheesha Pathirana. Nissanka’s fielding difficulties continued as he dropped another chance that would have dismissed Harry Brook on 11.
Tom Banton contributed a brisk 29 from 15 balls, featuring several inventive reverse-swept boundaries, while Brook remained unbeaten on 16. The three-match series serves as crucial preparation for both teams ahead of next week’s T20 World Cup in India. The teams will meet again for the second match on Sunday, followed by the series finale on Tuesday.