Sam Curran Revels in 'Special' Hat-Trick Achievement During England's T20 Triumph
Sam Curran has expressed his delight at securing a historic milestone for English cricket, becoming only the second bowler to claim a T20 international hat-trick for England during their convincing victory over Sri Lanka in Kandy. The left-arm seamer's remarkable feat places him alongside Chris Jordan, who achieved the same distinction back in 2024.
A Night of Dramatic Turnaround for Curran
The all-rounder's evening began in challenging fashion, with his initial two overs being dispatched for 35 runs by the Sri Lankan batters. However, Curran demonstrated exceptional resilience and skill to stage a spectacular comeback, dismantling the hosts' lower order to finish with figures that helped restrict Sri Lanka to 133 all out.
"Pretty cool to say I've got a hat-trick but a weird night personally after getting a bit of tap in the first couple of overs!" Curran reflected afterwards. "T20 is such an up and down thing. A fantastic win, we take a lot of confidence from our first T20 win."
He revealed that captain Jos Buttler's tactical intervention proved crucial, advising him to switch to bowling around the wicket. "Really special, at the top of my mark Jos told me to come round the wicket. One of those where you aim for the stumps and hope he missed and thankfully he did," Curran explained. "The way the night started I would have taken any wicket or dot ball! Loads of excitement as you let go and see the stumps light up and it makes the night that bit sweeter."
Supporting Cast Shine in Comprehensive Team Performance
Curran was not alone in delivering an outstanding bowling display. Veteran leg-spinner Adil Rashid produced a masterclass in controlled spin bowling, bamboozling the Sri Lankan lineup to return exceptional figures of three for 19 from his full quota of four overs. His performance effectively decimated the home side's innings during the middle overs.
"Adil has been such a star player for us for so long," Curran praised. "We are really hoping he can play a big part for us in the next few weeks which is really exciting for us."
With the bat, Phil Salt capitalised on two reprieves to anchor England's chase with a composed 46 runs before rain interrupted proceedings. England had reached 125 for four when the weather intervened, securing victory by 11 runs via the DLS method.
Series Momentum Builds Towards T20 World Cup Campaign
This victory gives England a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with two further contests scheduled at the same Kandy venue. The team will then travel to Mumbai for their T20 World Cup opener against Nepal on February 8th.
Should England progress from their group – which includes West Indies, Scotland, Nepal, and Italy – their Super 8 matches will return them to Sri Lankan soil, with games planned in both Kandy and Colombo, where they recently clinched the ODI series.
"Winning is a confidence boost and a habit and I guess we are hoping to keep doing that leading into the World Cup," Curran added, emphasising the importance of building momentum. "It's a really important series for us playing in similar conditions to the World Cup. We know how exciting the next few weeks are, we want to do the country proud. Hopefully we will be as ready as we can."
The comprehensive team performance, highlighted by Curran's individual brilliance, provides England with significant optimism as they fine-tune their preparations for the global tournament ahead.
