England underlined that they are among the front-runners for the upcoming T20 World Cup, as they ground out an 11-run victory over Sri Lanka on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the opening T20 international at Pallekele on Friday.
Sam Curran, you little ripper! β€οΈ pic.twitter.com/CqGAoVXnPk
β England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 30, 2026
Sam Curran was the game changer, claiming a hat-trick as Sri Lanka were skittled for 133 in 16.2 overs.
Opener Phil Salt, the world's second-ranked T20I batter, struck a fluent 46 off 35 balls to help England take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, a dress rehearsal for the World Cup.
"Our execution was good tonight. We are happy with the progress we have made, and it's all about building up nicely for the World Cup. Sam Curran was awesome. He had a tough start tonight, but he bounced back so well," England captain Harry Brook said.
π© Sam Curran hat-trick
β England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 30, 2026
π§ββοΈ Adil Rashid masterclass
π Match-winning knock from Salty
The π½π²πΏπ³π²π°π start to our World Cup preparations! β pic.twitter.com/gQLrCHdBbd
Sri Lanka had raced to 76 for one inside seven overs, but once spin was introduced, the hosts began to lose their grip as legspinner Adil Rashid picked up three wickets. He was named Man of the Match.
Curran became only the second England player to take a T20I hat-trick after Chris Jordan, finishing off the Sri Lankan innings just as the hosts looked set for a competitive total.
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β England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 30, 2026
Curran first had captain Dasun Shanaka caught at mid-off before Maheesh Theekshana hoicked one straight down long-on's throat. The left-armer then produced a full delivery that swung back sharply to bowl Matheesha Pathirana.
The final pair added four runs before Jamie Overton bowled Wanindu Hasaranga for 14. Sri Lanka slumped from 129 for six to 133 all out in five deliveries.
The odds of taking a T20 hat-trick are astronomical... Sam Curran has done it twice.
β England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 30, 2026
In reply, Salt batted with authority. Tom Banton added impetus with a brisk 29 off 15 balls, including three fours and two sixes.
Sri Lanka were guilty of sloppy fielding, spilling two regulation catches, but they never had enough on the board to put sustained pressure on a formidable England lineup.
England needed just nine runs from the final two overs with six wickets in hand when rain intervened. Well ahead on the DLS calculations, the visitors were declared winners. The contest had earlier been reduced to 17 overs per side by the rain.
"Very disappointed with the way we handled things out in the middle. We need to be better with the options that we take. We have the potential, no doubt, but we aren't delivering out in the middle," Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said.
The sides meet again at the same venue on Sunday, with the series concluding on Tuesday.