Sam Curran scripts history, becomes second England player to achieve this feat in 1st T20I vs Sri Lanka

England all-rounder Sam Curran became just the second player from the country to pick up a hat-trick in T20Is. He achieved this feat during the team's clash against Sri Lanka in the first T20I of the three-match series. Chris Jordan was the first English player to pick up a hat-trick in the shortest format in 2024.

After conceding 20 runs in an earlier over, Curran made a stunning comeback and showcased his death-bowling skills in the 16th over. He first broke the 31-run partnership between Dasun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga by dismissing the former on the fourth delivery of the over. Next batter, Maheesh Theekshana tried to play a big shot right away, but ended up giving a simple catch to Jamie Overton.

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Curran completed his hat-trick by dismissing Matheesha Pathirana, who got cleaned up by an absolute ripper. These three wickets saw the hosts go down to 129/9 and they would eventually be bundled out for 133 runs in the next over. Curran finished his three-over spell with figures of 3/38. Though the 27-year-old did prove to be costly, his contbutions for the team with the ball were highly-important.

Curran joins an elite list

Meanwhile, Curran also joined an elite list of bowlers with the hat-trick. He became just the sixth player in history to pick up a hat-trick against Sri Lanka in T20Is, joining the likes of Jacob Oram, Lockie Ferguson and more.

Players to take a hat-trick against Sri Lanka in T20Is -

1. Jacob Oram (New Zealand)

2. Faheem Ashraf (Pakistan)

3. Mohammad Hasnain (Pakistan)

4. KP Meiyappan (UAE) 

5. Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand)

6. Sam Curran (England)

England take vital lead in the series

On the other hand, England eventually won the match by 11 runs through DLS method. They stood at 125/4 after 15 overs and were just nine runs shy from achieving the target when rain stopped play. The weather looked to be in no mood to get better anytime soon, so the visitors were handed the victory as they were ahead of the par score. With this win, the Three Lions took a 1-0 lead in the three-match assignment and will go on to seal the series if they claim victory in the second T20I that will be held on February 1.