England all-rounder Sam Curran Made a dramatic turnaround in the opening T20I of the three-match series against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, scoring a memorable hat-trick after a difficult start with the ball. Curran’s heroics in the final over proved decisive in a rain-affected match, helping England restricted the host team to a modest score of 133 runs. In a 17-overs-per-side match.
Sri Lanka shocked by Sam Curran’s hat-trick
Curran’s day looked to be slipping away early as he was dismissed early in the innings, conceding 20 runs in a single over and giving away 35 runs in his first two overs. Sri Lanka’s batsmen looked in control during the powerplay, scoring 76 runs in just seven overs and threatening to post a challenging total despite the shorter format.
However, the left-handed all-rounder displayed his composure and skill in the death overs when it mattered most. Bowling the final over, Curran destroyed Sri Lanka’s lower order by taking three consecutive wickets and shifted the momentum completely in England’s favour.
Curran’s hat-trick came in a sensational manner as soon as he was out. Dasun Shanaka, Mahesh Theekshana And Mathisha Pathirana Constantly out of delivery. This sequence not only eliminated Sri Lanka’s finishing options but also prevented any late charge that could have taken them beyond England’s reach.
With that spell, Curran took 3 for 38, which was an impressive recovery considering his early overs performance. The hat-trick made him only the second England bowler to achieve the feat in men’s T20 Internationals.
Here is the video:
A T20I hat-trick for England is rarer than a sunny day in London, and Sam Curran got one recently ☀️🎳
He became the second English bowler to take a T20I hat-trick
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[Sam Curran, Wickets, Hat-trick, England, History, Sri Lanka, Fast Bowling] pic.twitter.com/Q88tv6S3AG
– FanCode (@FanCode) 30 January 2026
Curran’s achievement puts him alongside Chris Jordan, who previously took a T20I hat-trick for England against the United States during the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Also read: Not England! Phil Salt names the strongest team of T20 World Cup 2026
England has taken an early lead in the three-match series
The England team, which came out to chase the target, had to face some nervous moments in the beginning. The powerplay proved uneventful as both Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethel were removed by Ishan Malinga, leaving England unsettled for a while. Matters could have been worse when Phil Salt got a huge reprieve when Kamil Mishra gave a difficult chance to deep midwicket off the very first ball of Wanindu Hasaranga.
Even in the absence of wickets, Mathisha Pathirana caused a lot of inconvenience. Bowling with his trademark slingy action, he unsettled the batsmen and kept them guessing, echoing the threat once associated with Lasith Malinga. However, the awards were not received at all.
stability came tom bantonWho was promoted to No. 4 due to injury to Ben Duckett. Banton provided the much-needed momentum with a brilliant cameo, scoring 29 runs in just 14 balls and swinging the momentum back in England’s favour. From there, Salt took control and led the innings with a calm and confident knock of 46 runs from 35 balls. He missed his fifth T20I half-century in just eight innings.
England completed the chase with 6 wickets in 15 overs.
Also read: Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins out of T20 World Cup 2026; Replacement announced
