England spinners win a thrilling low-scoring contest as England defeated Sri Lanka by 12 runs in the third T20I at Pallekele on Tuesday, completing a 3–0 series sweep in their final outing before the T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka suffered another worrying batting collapse, their second in five days, as a chase that looked well under control slipped away dramatically. Despite restricting England to a modest 128 for 9, the hosts were bowled out for 116, once again failing to close out a winning position.
For large parts of the match, Sri Lanka appeared well placed to deny England a clean sweep. On a worn surface being used for the third time in the series, England’s total never looked out of reach. However, the visitors struck early in defense when Luke Wood removed opener Kamil Mishara for a duck in the very first over.
England spinners win after triggering Sri Lanka’s late collapse
A lively 14-run fourth over from Jamie Overton briefly lifted the chase, with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis pushing the scoring along. That momentum was halted quickly when Liam Dawson extracted sharp turn to force Nissanka into a miscued drive to cover in the fifth over. Although Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake steadied things through the PowerPlay, England’s spinners soon began to tighten their grip.
Adil Rashid produced a superb googly to rattle Rathnayake’s stumps, triggering the collapse. Will Jacks followed up immediately, striking with his first delivery as Mendis top-edged a sweep down the leg side. Even at 90 for 4 after 13 overs, Sri Lanka remained favourites, but England spinners win control of the middle overs, steadily chipping away at the batting lineup.
Jacks removed Kamindu Mendis lbw and then had Janith Liyanage caught at deep square leg, reducing Sri Lanka to 97 for 6. While Dunith Wellalage and Dasun Shanaka dragged the total past 100, Jacob Bethell delivered the decisive blow with a dramatic three-wicket over. Wellalage was caught low by Jos Buttler, Dushmantha Chameera mistimed a drive to cover, and Shanaka was stumped off a sharply turning delivery. Bethell completed his four-wicket haul by dismissing Maheesh Theekshana in the final over, sealing a remarkable victory as England spinners win yet another pressure contest.
Earlier, England’s innings was held together by a fighting half-century from Sam Curran after a disastrous start. Dushmantha Chameera struck in the opening over, trapping Ben Duckett lbw after a review. Matheesha Pathirana then deceived Jacob Bethell with a slower delivery, while Dunith Wellalage removed Tom Banton to leave England struggling at 35 for 4 inside the PowerPlay.
Harry Brook soon followed, undone by another Pathirana off-cutter, and England continued to slide in the middle overs. Jos Buttler was bowled by Maheesh Theekshana, and Will Jacks fell to Chameera, leaving Curran to fight almost alone. Alongside Liam Dawson, Curran added 47 runs for the seventh wicket, pushing England beyond the 100-run mark.
Just as England looked set for a stronger finish, Chameera returned to strike twice more, dismissing Dawson and Jamie Overton. Curran reached his fifty in the 19th over and struck a couple of boundaries before becoming Chameera’s fifth victim. England eventually closed on 128 for 9, a total that surprisingly proved enough on the night.
The defeat will raise fresh concerns for Sri Lanka ahead of the T20 World Cup, particularly their repeated batting collapses under pressure. England, meanwhile, will take confidence from their adaptability and the match-winning impact of their spin attack.
Brief Scores:
England 128/9 in 20 overs (Sam Curran 58; Dushmantha Chameera 5-24, Matheesha Pathirana 2-27)
Sri Lanka 116 in 19.3 overs (Kusal Mendis 26; Jacob Bethell 4-11, Will Jacks 3-14)
England won by 12 runs
