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Posted on February 3, 2026
3 min readLast updated: February 3, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleEngland's spinners led a 3-0 series sweep over Sri Lanka, with standout performances from Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks, as they prepare for the T20 World Cup.
KANDY, Sri Lanka, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Spinners Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks led the way as England beat Sri Lanka by 12 runs in a low-scoring match on Tuesday to sweep their Twenty20 series 3-0 ahead of the World Cup.
England posted a meagre 128-9 with the bat, their lowest total against Sri Lanka in the format, as pace bowler Dushmantha Chameera bagged a five-wicket haul, but all-rounders Jacks (3-14) and Bethell (4-11) produced their best bowling performances in the format to restrict the hosts to 116.
"We've shown we can adapt to surfaces... the way the spinners bowled, 16 overs against Sri Lanka in their own conditions was an awesome effort," England captain Harry Brook said.
Ben Duckett was dismissed for a golden duck by Chameera, and Bethell, Tom Banton and Brook fell cheaply, leaving England struggling at 34-4 in the sixth over.
Jos Buttler (25) was beaten by Maheesh Theekshana's sharp turn off Kandy's spin-friendly track, which found the gap between the England opener's bat and pad to hit the stumps.
Player of the match Sam Curran made a battling 58 to lift England to a respectable total and Luke Wood removed Kamil Mishara for a duck in the first over. The spinners then took over, with Liam Dawson getting Pathum Nissanka caught at cover for 23
Adil Rashid bowled Pavan Rathnayake, before Jacks worked through Sri Lanka's middle order, dismissing Kusal Mendis (26), Kamindu Mendis (14) and Janith Liyanage (17) to reduce Sri Lanka to 97-6 in the 16th over.
Bethell took three wickets in the 18th over and with Sri Lanka needing 14 to win from the last over Theekshana's attempt to hit Bethell for six got him caught as the hosts were all out with three balls remaining.
"Great win to be part of, the way the boys kept fighting to the end... the World Cup is here, so when we have the opportunity to play here we have the experiences to carry over," Brook said.
England, twice world champions in the format, will fly to Mumbai to begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Nepal in Group C on Sunday, the same day Sri Lanka face Ireland at Colombo in Group B.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
The T20 World Cup is an international cricket championship organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the Twenty20 format of the game. It features teams from around the world competing for the title.
A five-wicket haul refers to a bowler taking five or more wickets in a single innings of a cricket match. It is considered a significant achievement and is often celebrated in the sport.
An all-rounder is a cricketer who is skilled in both batting and bowling. They contribute to the team in multiple ways, making them valuable players in various formats of the game.
A golden duck occurs when a batsman is dismissed without scoring any runs on the very first ball they face in an innings. It is considered an unfortunate and embarrassing outcome.
A low-scoring match in cricket is one where both teams score relatively few runs, often due to difficult playing conditions or strong bowling performances. This can lead to close and exciting finishes.
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