In a thrilling encounter at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Tuesday, England closed their t20 world cup preparation for victory through hard work Sri Lanka. While the scoreline of the series suggests dominance, the final match was a masterclass in spin bowling and low-scoring defence, headlined by a moment of pure magic from the Sri Lankan mystery spinner. Mahesh Theekshana.
Mahesh Theekshana hits an unplayable ball to dismiss Jos Buttler in the third T20I
The highlight of the first innings came in the 8th over when Theekshana bowled what many are calling the best ball of the series. England’s star batsman jos buttlerWanted to stabilize the faltering innings by scoring 25 runs on 21 balls. However, he was completely stunned by the ball, which defied the laws of physics usually associated with Theekshana’s bowling.
Theekshana, better known for its tight lines and subtle skidders, found unexpected purchase on the Pallekele surface. The ball pitched on the perfect length, caught the dusty ground and “spinned a mile”, crossing the large gap between Buttler’s inside edge and back pad. The ball hit the top of the off-stump, causing the world-class batsman to return to the pavilion in disappointment.
Upon being dismissed, Theekshana broke out his trademark ‘archer’ celebration, imitating releasing an arrow into the sky as his teammates surrounded him. At that time, England were in trouble at 47/5, and the Kandy crowd was at its peak, watching a master in action. Theekshana ended his good spell with figures of 1/16, proving once again why he is one of the toughest mystery bowlers to read in the shortest format.
Here is the video:
Wicket? ✅ Celebration? 🏹
Mahesh Tikshana spins out Jos Buttler, then brings the heat with that celebration #SonySportsNetwork #SLvENG pic.twitter.com/6syY4ApsdG
– Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) 3 February 2026
Despite Dushmantha Chameera taking five wickets, England were whitewashed 3-0.
Despite the individual brilliance of the Sri Lankan bowlers, England’s depth and patience ultimately told the story. Dushmantha Chameera The host was the best player in the team’s attack, claiming a career-best 5/24. His clinical fast bowling restricted England to a paltry score of 128/9, a score that seemed well below the halfway mark. Sam Curran He was the only hero for the visitors with the bat, scoring 58 runs in 48 balls to take his team to a respectable position.
However, chasing the target proved to be a nightmare for the Sri Lankan batsmen. On a surface where the ball kept holding and turning, England’s spin pair jacob bethel And will jacks Turned the game upside down. Young left-arm spinner Bethel bowled a sensational spell of 4/11, taking three wickets in a single over and demolishing the tail-enders.
Sri Lanka missed the mark by only 12 runs and were all out for 116 runs in the final over. This victory proved to be an important milestone harry brookThe team achieved a 3-0 clean sweep in the series on foreign soil. For England, this is a confidence boost ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup, while Sri Lanka will go back to the drawing board to overcome their batting decline against spin.
See also: Sam Curran took a hat-trick in the first match of T20 series against Sri Lanka
