Pallekele, Jan 31 (.) England all-rounder Sam Curran became only the second male player from his country to claim a T20I hat-trick as the visitors defeated Sri Lanka by 11 runs (DLS method) in the opening match of the three-game series at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC) website, Curran ran through Sri Lanka’s lower order, dismissing Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, and Matheesha Pathirana with consecutive deliveries, joining Chris Jordan as the only England bowler to achieve the feat in T20 internationals. Jordan had taken his hat-trick during the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The left-arm all-rounder’s decisive spell restricted Sri Lanka to 133, before England chased down the revised target with contributions from opener Phil Salt (46) and Tom Banton (29).
Curran’s performance comes just a week ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, beginning on February 7, and provided a timely boost for England as they fine-tune their preparations.
“Pretty cool to say I’ve got a hat-trick but a weird night personally after getting a bit of tap in the first couple of overs!” Curran told England Cricket after the match. “T20 is such an up-and-down thing. A fantastic win, we take a lot of confidence from our first T20 win.”
“Really special, at the top of my mark, Jos (England opener Jos Buttler) told me to come round the wicket. One of those where you aim for the stumps and hope he missed, and thankfully he did,” he added.

“The way the night started, I would have taken any wicket or dot ball! Loads of excitement as you let go and see the stumps light up, and it makes the night that bit sweeter.”
He added that the series against Sri Lanka was important in helping England adapt to conditions similar to those expected during the World Cup.
Pallekele will host the remaining two matches of the series, with England looking to build on their winning start ahead of the global tournament.
. VAN .