England complete T20 whitewash over Sri Lanka as spinners shine in Kandy

Will Jacks claimed three for 14 and Jacob Bethell four for 11 as England recorded their lowest successful defence in T20 cricket

Will Jacks helped England to victory (Eranga Jayawardena/AP)

England beat Sri Lanka by 12 runs in a low-scoring thriller to seal a 3-0 T20 series win in their final match before the World Cup.

Sam Curran’s 58 from 48 balls led England’s recovery from 60 for six to set Sri Lanka 129 to win in Kandy, with Dushmantha Chameera’s five for 24 giving Sri Lanka hope of a consolation win in the series.

But England’s spinners strangled Sri Lanka as Will Jacks claimed three for 14 and Jacob Bethell four for 11 as they recorded their lowest successful defence in T20 cricket.

England sealed a 3-0 series win (Eranga Jayawardena/AP)

Curran was named player of the match, as well as player of the series and revealed that England always felt they could defend the low total given the dangers in the pitch.

"It was the third time on the same wicket, 130 felt a decent score,” he said after the win. “We had some spinners who made the difference. It was a fun game. A fantastic series win and off to Mumbai tomorrow.

"Great to be back in the side and contributing. We played well and the confidence is really good. The first two T20s were good and today it was different with the turn. We should be proud of 3-0 series win."

(Getty Images)

Meanwhile, England captain Harry Brook labelled the victory as ‘awesome’ and hopes his side can bring the experience of winning such a tight match into their World Cup campaign.

"That was awesome and one of the most fun wins I've been part of,” Brook said. “The way the lads kept fighting was awesome.

“We have shown we can adapt to different surfaces and tonight was difficult but the way Sam Curran batted was brilliant. Then the way the spinners bowled 17 overs was awesome.

"The World Cup is going to be co-hosted here and when we get the opportunity to play here we can carry that experience over. It's been an awesome tour and hopefully we'll come back to Sri Lanka a few more times."

A clean sweep in the T20 series completes a strong time in Sri Lanka for England, following the 2-1 ODI series win, and sends them into the World Cup with positive momentum.

England fly to Mumbai on Wednesday, where they will face Nepal in their tournament opener on Sunday.