Sam Curran registered a stunning hat-trick to put the brakes on Sri Lanka’s late charge and help England win the first match of the SL vs ENG T20 2026 series in Kandy on Friday.
In a rain-hit contest at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Curran’s triple strike in the penultimate over helped shift the momentum in the visitors’ favour just as the hosts were looking for a grandstand finish.
Sri Lanka were 125/6 in 15 overs, looking set to push towards the 150-mark with four wickets in hand and two overs left after the innings was curtailed to 17 overs due to rain.
However, the hosts were rocked when Curran removed Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana off consecutive deliveries.
Shanaka, threatening on 20 off 15, mistimed a cutter to the edge of the circle before Theekshana holed out at the deep for a duck.
Pathirana was then castled, prompting Curran - part of the Rajasthan Royals squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season - to wheel away in celebration.
Curran had entered the over with figures of 0/35 from two overs but walked out with 3/38 - and England’s second-ever men’s T20I hat-trick following up on Chris Jordan’s effort at the 2024 World Cup against the USA.
England would eventually go on to win the match by 11 runs via DLS method after further rain interruptions during their batting.
Sam Curran is also the only Englishman to take a hat-trick in the IPL. Representing Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Curran produced his magic against Delhi Capitals in Chandigarh back in 2019.
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A vital cog in England’s white-ball set-up since his debut in 2018, Curran has featured in 65 T20Is, claiming 60 wickets at an average of around 27. With the bat, he has amassed 451 runs at an average of over 17 and a strike rate of above 130.
Sam Curran was England’s standout performer at the T20 World Cup 2022, taking home both Player of the Match in the final and Player of the Tournament honours.
In the IPL, the 27-year-old has played 64 matches, scoring 997 runs and taking 59 wickets, underlining his value as a dependable all-round option.
Fast bowler Jofra Archer, who was the Rajasthan Royals’ joint highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025, was also part of England’s playing XI against Sri Lanka on Friday, and produced an economic spell of 0/22 in three overs.
Both Archer and Curran are part of England’s provisional squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, set to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
The second game of the three-match series, which will be staged entirely at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy, will be played on Sunday.
