Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: England reinforced their status as strong contenders for the upcoming T20 World Cup after grinding out an 11-run Duckworth-Lewis-Stern victory over Sri Lanka in the opening T20I at Pallekele on Friday.Sam Curran proved the decisive factor, claiming a hat-trick as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 133 in 16.2 overs. Opener Phil Salt, the world’s second-ranked T20I batter, anchored England’s chase with a fluent 46 off 35 balls as the visitors went 1-0 up in the three-match series, which serves as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup.
“Our execution was good tonight. We are happy with the progress we have made and it’s all about building up nicely for the World Cup. Sam Curran was awesome. He had a tough start tonight, but he bounced back so well,” England captain Harry Brook said.Sri Lanka had surged to 76 for one inside seven overs before spin turned the tide. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid struck three times to stall the hosts’ momentum and was named Man of the Match.Curran became only the second England player after Chris Jordan to register a T20I hat-trick, wrapping up the Sri Lankan innings just as the hosts threatened to post a competitive total. He began by having skipper Dasun Shanaka caught at mid-off, then saw Maheesh Theekshana hole out to long-on, before producing a full, swinging delivery to bowl Matheesha Pathirana.The last pair managed just four runs before Jamie Overton dismissed Wanindu Hasaranga for 14, as Sri Lanka collapsed from 129 for six to 133 all out in the space of five deliveries.In reply, Salt set the tone with an authoritative knock, while Tom Banton provided momentum with a rapid 29 off 15 balls that included three fours and two sixes. Sri Lanka’s sloppy fielding, which featured two dropped regulation catches, further hurt their cause, though the hosts were already defending an under-par total against a formidable England line-up.England required only nine runs from the final two overs with six wickets in hand when rain halted play. With the visitors well ahead on DLS calculations, they were declared winners. Earlier, rain had already reduced the match to 17 overs per side.“Very disappointed with the way we handled things out in the middle. We need to be better with the options that we take. We have the potential no doubt, but we aren’t delivering out in the middle,” Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said.The two sides meet again at the same venue on Sunday, with the series set to conclude on Tuesday.
