England’s men have left Colombo with a 3-0 T20I series win, their tenth victory in 11 outings and as handy a warm-up for the World Cup as they could have asked for. They defended 129 on Tuesday, their lowest successful defence in the format, and did so on a surface that turned square. Sam Curran, who dragged them up to that total with a measured 58 from 48 balls, was named Player of the Match – his second decisive contribution in three games.
Curran’s week summed up his value: a hat-trick in game one, an unbeaten 20 to finish the chase in game two and then Tuesday’s half-century after walking in at 20 for 4. The left-arm seamer-bat, still only 27, has become England’s plug-any-gap man, opening the bowling one night, closing it the next, or—as happened in the decider—waiting until the final over of the powerplay before getting the ball.
“It’s just trying to be flexible for the team, we’ve got loads of different options,” Curran said afterwards. “I know my role with the ball is going to be quite flexible and I’m pretty happy with that.
“Just hoping that when I don’t bowl well, I can bat well and when I don’t bat well, I can bowl well. I guess that’s my logic. I know this World Cup I’m going to play a role with different conditions, different roles. And I’m very open to that as long as the team feels settled and the guys are confident, which [is why] I think this series was fantastic.”
The spinners stole most of the headlines on Tuesday, though. Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson shared six wickets, with Will Jacks and teenage left-armer Jacob Bethell picking up the other three. Nine wickets to spin is an England record in T20Is, a statistic that pleased Curran every bit as much as his own award.
“I think to win away from home 3-0, I think that’s the lowest score we’ve defended as well, which is pretty, pretty cool to say,” he reflected. “I think those wins are always fun when you see the ball turning big. I thought our spinners can take huge confidence from that. All four of them bowled exceptionally well.
“And yeah, I guess we might come across conditions like that over the next couple of weeks. And I think we’ve seen some good wickets, we’ve seen some turning wickets, so great preparation and a fantastic win.”
Curran’s elevation to No. 6 began during last winter’s franchise stint with the Melbourne Renegades, where he often arrived in similar circumstances—early wickets down, innings wobbling. The experience, he admits, forced him to add gears to a batting game that was once based mainly on cameos.
Away from the microphone, head coach Matthew Mott spoke of “a side that’s learning to win in different ways”, while batting consultant Marcus Trescothick noted the calmness with which Curran and Tom Banton—England’s second-highest run-scorer in the series—handled a nerve-jangling chase in game two.
India, the bookmakers’ favourites for the World Cup, are next on England’s radar. Yet confidence is high without drifting into bravado. Curran, for one, is content to focus on what he can control.
“Nothing is guaranteed in a tournament,” he told team-mates in the huddle. “Some days you won’t land your yorker, some days you’ll nick off first ball. If I can cover one discipline when the other’s off, that’s a win for the team.”
Pragmatic words, and typical of a cricketer who has made adaptability his calling card. It might not grab the limelight like a 100-metre six, but England know the value of a player who can switch hats at a moment’s notice. As World Cup preparations go, a stress-tested 3-0 score-line – on both belters (true batting tracks) and turners – feels about right.
