Jacob Bethell underlined his importance to England's T20 World Cup hopes as he spun them to a hard-fought 12-run win over Sri Lanka to complete a 3-0 clean sweep at Pallekele on Tuesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The series served as a dress rehearsal for the 20-nation showpiece that Sri Lanka is co-hosting with India.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The contest hung in the balance heading into the 18th over with Sri Lanka needing 21 runs off 18 balls with four wickets in hand but the part-time spin of Bethel turned the game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The left-armer snared three wickets in a dramatic over to flip the game on its head as the hosts were skittled for 116 with three balls to spare. Bethel finished with career-best figures of four for 11.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
“It was one of the most fun games I have been part of,” said England captain Harry Brook.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We showed we can adapt to challenging conditions. Today we bowled 16 overs of spin and to do that against a Sri Lankan side in their own conditions is really satisfying."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England had mustered only 128 for nine but showcased their depth and nous, defending a total that looked well below par on a surface offering turn and bounce.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After just four overs from the quicks, the spinners took centre stage and wove a web around the Sri Lankan batters, much as they had throughout the tour.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The spinners had been pivotal in England’s ODI series triumph in Colombo last week and again proved the ace up their sleeve.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England head to India to launch their World Cup campaign with momentum at their backs, while Sri Lanka have plenty of soul-searching to do with their frailties against spin brutally exposed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bethel found able allies in Will Jacks, who bagged three wickets, while fellow tweakers Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson chipped in with one apiece to keep the hosts on a tight leash.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sam Curran, England’s hero in the opening game with a hat-trick, showed his all-round pedigree in the dead rubber, carving out a career-best 58 from 48 balls to rescue the side that had slipped to 60 for six.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Returning quick Dushmantha Chameera, back after a groin injury, was a rare bright spark for Sri Lanka, claiming his maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is. His five for 24 are the best figures in England-Sri Lanka contests and the third-best ever at Pallekele.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
“Very disappointing. We need to address a few areas, especially the options we take against spin bowling," said Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I thought we had addressed that issue in the last game but the old problems resurfaced again.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Both sides begin their World Cup campaign next Sunday with Sri Lanka hosting Ireland in Colombo while England face Nepal in Mumbai.<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jacob-Bethell.jpeg", "alt_img": "England tour of sri Lanka 2026 3rd t20I", "alt_title": "Jacob Bethell Spins England to 3-0 T20I Clean Sweep Over Sri Lanka", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "Jacob Bethell Spins England to 3-0 T20I Clean Sweep Over Sri Lanka On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Jacob Bethell claimed career-best figures of 4\/11 as England defended 128 to beat Sri Lanka by 12 runs at Pallekele, completing a 3-0 T20I series clean sweep ahead of the T20 World Cup.", "seo_keywords": "England Tour Sri Lank 2026, Jacob Bethell, England Vs Sri Lanka, Sam Curran", "tag": null, "tagging": "England Tour Sri Lank 2026,Jacob Bethell,England Vs Sri Lanka,Sam Curran,", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "jacob-bethell-spins-england-to-3-0-t20i-clean-sweep-over-sri-lanka", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "1", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "793", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2026-02-04 08:38:00", "updated": "2026-02-04 08:38:00", "img_from": "Image Source: Google", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "England Tour Sri Lank 2026, Jacob Bethell, England Vs Sri Lanka, Sam Curran", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "1", "posted_by": "19", "jio_date": "2026-02-04 08:38:00", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "1", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": "Select", "article_content_type": null, "england_cricket": "0", "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/jacob-bethell-spins-england-to-3-0-t20i-clean-sweep-over-sri-lanka-187477" }