Sam Curran picked the perfect moment to remind everyone why England trust him with the ball at the death. After a scrappy start and a wet evening in Pallekele, the left-arm all-rounder flipped the game on its head with a stunning hat-trick, setting England up for a 1–0 lead in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.
England’s bowling effort was disciplined but Curran’s burst in the 16th over was the moment that truly broke Sri Lanka. From a position where the hosts still hoped to push past 150, they suddenly found themselves folded for 133. All thanks to the new Rajasthan Royals (RR) all-rounder, who will play a key role at the T20 World Cup 2026 as well.
Sam Curran takes hat-trick!
Sri Lanka actually began brightly. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis attacked early, and for a while England looked short of answers. Sam Curran himself went for 20 in an earlier over, while Jamie Overton and Jofra Archer were tested with the new ball.
The turning point arrived once Adil Rashid entered the game. He removed Nissanka and later accounted for Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva, triggering a collapse that Sri Lanka never recovered from. Liam Dawson quietly chipped in with two wickets of his own, and suddenly the hosts slid from 76 for 1 to 100 for 6.
Then came Curran’s over. Dasun Shanaka tried to force the pace and paid the price. Maheesh Theekshana followed, and Matheesha Pathirana completed the hat-trick, leaving the crowd stunned and Sri Lanka in complete disarray. From there, England closed it out calmly.
Chasing a modest target, England played smart cricket rather than reckless shots. Phil Salt anchored the innings, Tom Banton added a burst of intent, and despite rain interrupting proceedings once again, England were comfortably ahead of the DLS par score when play was called off.
In doing so, Curran became only the second England bowler to take a T20I hat-trick after Chris Jordan, who achieved the feat at the T20 World Cup 2024.
T20I Hat-tricks in 2026 so far
| Player | Match | Venue | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Afghanistan vs West Indies | Dubai | Evin Lewis, Johnson Charles, Brandon King |
| Shamar Springer | West Indies vs Afghanistan | Dubai | Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, Shahidullah |
| Sam Curran | England vs Sri Lanka | Pallekele | Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana |
