England outclassed Sri Lanka by 12 runs in the third T20I of the three-match series at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy. The decision to bat first appeared to be a poor one for England at first. Dushmantha Chameera (5/24 in 4 overs) and Matheesha Pathirana (2/27 in 4 overs) dismantled the England batting line-up. Sam Curran was the lone fighter, scoring 54 runs off 48 balls.
However, the match was far from over. England bowled out Sri Lanka for 116 with three balls to spare. Jacob Bethell (4/11 in 3.3 overs) and Will Jacks (3/14 in 4 overs) ripped through the Sri Lankan batting and did not allow any batter to score freely. Kusal Mendis was the top scorer for Sri Lanka.
With this win, England completed a dominant 3-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka on foreign soil.
Team Effort Drives England’s Success
England’s victories have come through collective contributions. Several players have stepped up at different moments. However, Sam Curran has stood out more than most.
Curran earned the Player-of-the-Match award on Tuesday. He scored 58 off 48 balls and lifted England to a competitive total on a difficult surface. In the second game, his unbeaten 20 helped England finish the chase alongside Tom Banton, who ended the series as the second-highest run-scorer. In the opening match, Curran responded to early criticism by taking a hat-trick to close out his spell.
Curran’s Flexible Role Proves Vital
Curran’s adaptability has made him a key figure in England’s setup. He bowls at the death when needed. He can also open the bowling or come on later in the powerplay, as he did in the third match.
"It's just trying to be flexible for the team, we've got loads of different options," Curran said of his role in Tuesday's game. "I know my role with the ball is going to be quite flexible and I'm pretty happy with that.
"Just hoping that when I don't bowl well, I can bat well and when I don't bat well, I can bowl well. I guess that's my logic. I know this World Cup I'm going to play a role with different conditions, different roles. And I'm very open to that as long as the team feels settled and the guys are confident, which [is why] I think this series was fantastic."
Spinners Shine Ahead of World Cup
England could not have asked for a better warm-up series. Their spin attack has come into its own at the right time. Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson have led the charge, while Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell have added depth.
On Tuesday, England’s spinners took nine of Sri Lanka’s ten wickets. It was the most wickets taken by spin in a T20I by England. They achieved this while defending a modest total of 129. In the first two games as well, the spinners proved more economical than the seamers.
Curran Praises Spin Unit and Preparation
"I think to win away from home 3-0, I think that's the lowest score we've defended as well, which is pretty, pretty cool to say. I think those wins are always fun when you see the ball turning big," Curran said. "I thought our spinners can take huge confidence from that. All four of them bowled exceptionally well," he further added.
"And yeah, I guess we might come across conditions like that over the next couple of weeks. And I think we've seen some good wickets, we've seen some turning wickets, so great preparation and a fantastic win."
Curran Embraces Bigger Batting Role
At his first World Cup in 2022, Curran played mainly as a bowler. This time, he carries extra responsibility with the bat at the crucial No. 6 position.
On Tuesday, he came in when England were four down inside the powerplay. He showed calmness and maturity, traits he says have grown through years of franchise cricket.
"I feel like I've been playing a lot of cricket now and been on the road and playing a different lot of teams. So I'm loving my cricket, feeling really confident with my game and learning every day, adapting to different conditions.
"I love my batting, I love my bowling. I think to be a good top-quality allrounder, I just got to keep doing a lot of work on both my batting and bowling. And whenever the team needs me, whatever position that is in, I'm hoping I can perform for England throughout this World Cup. And hopefully be sitting here, similar scenes to 2022."
India may be the favourites for the World Cup, but England arrive in outstanding form. They have won 10 of their last 11 T20Is and recently completed a dominant 3-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka on foreign soil.
More importantly, England have shown they can win in all conditions. They succeeded on slow, turning pitches like the one used in the third T20I. They also dominated on flat, high-scoring surfaces such as the pitch in the second match.
England will fly to India on Wednesday. They will begin their World Cup campaign against Nepal on Sunday in Mumbai. "It's a massively exciting flight to Mumbai. So straight on that plane, excited to get stuck into our first game against Nepal. And I guess we take one game at a time, and it's a very exciting time for every player going to the World Cup. And hopefully we can have a good couple of weeks and go really far into the tournament."
England now head into the World Cup with confidence, balance, and proven adaptability across conditions. Stay tuned with JUSZNEWS for regular updates!