The cricket world stood in collective awe on Friday, January 30,  as Sam Curran etched his name into the history books during the series opener between England and Sri Lanka. In a rain-curtailed 1st T20I at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, Curran turned a high-pressure situation into a masterclass of death bowling. With the floodlights gleaming off a damp surface, the left-arm seamer dismantled the Sri Lankan tail with a clinical hat-trick, leaving the local fans stunned and social media in a frenzy.

The match, reduced to 17 overs per side due to persistent tropical showers, initially looked like it might slip away from England as Sri Lanka’s top order came out swinging. However, the narrative shifted dramatically in the 16th over. Curran, who had been expensive in his earlier spells, found his rhythm exactly when Harry Brook needed him most. His triple-strike not only halted the momentum of the “Lions” but also solidified his reputation as one of the most clutch performers in the shortest format of the game.

Sam Curran’s sensational hattrick stuns Sri Lanka in 1st T20I

Entering the 15.4 over mark, Sri Lanka was looking to launch a final assault at 129/6. Dasun Shanaka, who had been looking dangerous with a couple of towering sixes, attempted to slap a length ball over mid-off. However, the timing wasn’t there, and the ball found the safe hands of Brook. The very next ball (15.5) saw Maheesh Theekshana attempt a wild hoick to a full delivery, only to pick out Jamie Overton at long-on.

The tension in Pallekele was palpable as Matheesha Pathirana walked out to face the hat-trick ball. Coming from around the wicket, Curran fired a pinpoint, searing delivery targeted at the base of the middle and off stumps. Pathirana was beaten for pace and swing, losing his stumps ‘neck and crop.’ Curran’s trademark celebration, arms spread wide told the story. He became only the second Englishman to claim a T20I hat-trick, finishing the over with remarkable figures of 3 for 38 after starting it with 0 for 35 after first 2 overs.

Also READ: SL vs ENG, T20I Series: Broadcast, Live Streaming details – When and where to watch in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, UK & other countries

Here’s how fans reacted:

SAM CURRAN TOOK A HATTRICK IN THE T20I AGAINST SRI LANKA. 🔥#samcurran #ausvssl #AusOpen #curran #CricketTwitter #ENGvsSL pic.twitter.com/IL3ZYwyaDm

— I’m Vishal (@Vishalrajpatna) January 30, 2026

🚨 HAT-TRICK FOR SAM CURRAN IN T20I AGAINST SRI LANKA 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Dk3IPq1pyo

— Annu🦋🦋 (@Miss_annu008) January 30, 2026

SAM CURRAN TOOK A HATRICK IN THE T20I AGAINST SRILANKA

– Incredible from Sam Curran 🥶pic.twitter.com/ko1IAsFGMX

— Cricket Central (@CricketCentrl) January 30, 2026

SAM CURRAN TAKES A HAT-TRICK IN THE T20I AGAINST SRI LANKA 🔥

pic.twitter.com/GV03kFJOAQ

— Dhiraj (@dhiraj01_) January 30, 2026

Knock Knock 🔥🔥

Hat Trick by Sam Curran #SLvENG #T20Is https://t.co/wq5RMgYEpu

— Cricket Mindset (@CricketMindset) January 30, 2026

Second English bowler to take a Hat-Trick in T20Is for England is SAM CURRAN 💥 @englandcricket #SamCurran #SLvENG #England #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/n2V3CPSmwW

— the_cricket_web (@the_cricket_web) January 30, 2026

🚨 HISTORY FOR SAM CURRAN 🚨

– Sam Curran becomes the second player to picked Hattrick in T20I for England in History. 😱

– Gets Shanaka, Gets Theekshana, Gets Pathirana. pic.twitter.com/50cHYbKaZP

— Chetana Meena (@ChetanaMee17662) January 30, 2026

Sam Curran — Hat-trick heropic.twitter.com/otQCRhFJwh

— Arshy (@imArshit) January 30, 2026

Shanaka ❌
Theekshana ❌
Pathirana ❌

Sam Curran becomes just the second man to take a hat-trick for England in T20Is! 🔥 #SLvENG pic.twitter.com/YTTnFmajXT

— Nadhvi Irfan (@nadhvi_irfan) January 30, 2026

History by Sam Curran, he is the 2nd blower to Hattrick in T20Is for England T20I history.

– Gets Dasun Shanaka
– Gets Maheesh Theekshana.
– Gets Matheesha Pathirana pic.twitter.com/6GBtUI2Me8

— CricPal (@AnupPalAgt) January 30, 2026

England’s disciplined bowling suffocate Sri Lanka to a low score

While Curran’s hat-trick provided the final blow, the foundation for England’s dominance was laid much earlier by the spin duo of Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson. Despite a rapid start from Kusal Mendis (37 off 20) and Pathum Nissanka (23 off 20) that saw Sri Lanka race to 50 runs in just 4.5 overs, the English bowlers maintained their composure. Rashid was particularly miserly, strangling the middle order to finish with 3 for 19 across his four overs.

The Sri Lankan innings folded for 133 in 16.2 overs, a total that felt significantly under par given the lightning-fast start they enjoyed. Key wickets fell at regular intervals: Charith Asalanka fell to Dawson for 5, and Dhananjaya de Silva was dismissed by Rashid just as he looked to settle. The lower order offered little resistance against the pace of Overton and the late-inning heroics of Curran.

Also READ: Suresh Raina, Anil Kumble and other cricket pundits predict strongest contender to meet India in the T20 World Cup 2026 final

New Delhi: A day after Supreme Court stayed UGC’s Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations, 2026, the education ministry began examining on Friday the removal of the “false complaints” clause that featured in the 2025 draft but was dropped from the final notified rules.Those from the general category have argued that in the absence of a deterrent, false complaints may be used to harass them. Opponents of the regulations pointed out that the new framework includes other backward classes — a category not covered under the 2012 regulations — leaving the general category “without remedies for discrimination faced by them”.

While removing OBCs from the purview of the regulations may not be an easy option, sources said the Centre is examining whether safeguards against false complaints need to be restored and the ambit of the anti-discrimination mechanism be expanded to cover EWS.New UGC norms silent on penalty for false complaintsSupreme Court put on hold Thursday the regulations notified on Jan 13, taking serious exception to several provisions and observing that they could fuel societal divisions and have a dangerous impact on the goal of a casteless society.Sections 2 and 3(c) of the regulations, which define beneficiaries as “socially and educationally backward classes” and state that “caste-based discrimination” refers to discrimination against members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs. Notably, OBCs were not mentioned in Regulation 3(c) of the draft but were added in the notified rules this year.The draft regulations provided for penalties against false complaints. The deleted provision stated that anyone filing a false discrimination complaint could face a fine determined by the equity committee, with repeat or serious violations potentially leading to disciplinary action under institutional rules.A senior govt official said, “This is being examined along with compliance with SC’s directions, including its observation on setting up a panel of experts to study the regulations.”The court flagged concerns around possible “segregation” of students. Section 7 of the regulations, dealing with measures for promotion of equity, states that any selection, segregation or allocation related to hostels, classrooms or mentorship groups must be transparent, fair and non-discriminatory.

In recent FTAs, including with the EU, India has given up its reluctance to lower tariffs for automobiles, wine and, even for some fruits such as apples and pears. Since you are negotiating several deals, and will come across what have traditionally been no-go areas, what will be your strategy for calibrated opening up?This is a defining moment in India’s journey towards ‘Viksit Bharat’. No country has become a developed nation living in isolation; it is through working with other countries, expanding markets, working on quality standards that investments flow. It was the silly myopic thinking that Congress-led UPA had, which we have done away with. EU FTA talks began 20 years ago, but they failed to do it for reasons best known to them, missing an opportunity that would have created lakhs of jobs, earned us billions of dollars, and helped in our country’s prosperity.Because of their wrong policies. Instead of deals with developed nations, which would have been a win-win for us, they landed us up with agreements with our competitors, which are hurting the economy. They even threw us under the bus by negotiating with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. We had FTA with Asean countries, Japan and South Korea, and we were negotiating with Australia and New Zealand. RCEP would have been an FTA between India and China. Just imagine what would have happened to India’s growth story if that had happened. The 27 EU nations represent a huge market, which is now opening up for us, and we’ve been able to do that without compromising on anything. The reluctance was misplaced. You spoke of apples. We import six lakh tonnes of apples, and over 50,000 tonnes from the EU. We have given them a quota on apples with a minimum import price of Rs 80 a kg, and along with 20% duty or Rs 16, it will be Rs 96. Current protection for growers is Rs 50 MIP and 50% duty, which is Rs 25. The quota is less than what we are importing. We have protected our interests in automobiles. Due to UPA’s stand, consumers were not getting a choice, we lost investments, which could have come to India for manufacturing. We have protected cars of up to Rs 25-30 lakh price, and the quotas are spread over 14 years. So, this reluctance was wrong. What we have done is a balanced, calibrated approach in every sector. This is a flawless deal.Will you have a similar strategy for other FTAs?Every agreement stands on its own legs. We will negotiate and finalise every agreement based on what is good for India, create a win-win situation for India, create new job opportunities for Indians and create new business investment for Indians.Which will be the no-go areas? Cereals, pulses, genetically modified food, dairy, are all out?Across FTAs that is going to be our strategy – To get the best deal with every country that we negotiate.Are you hopeful that CBAM won’t be detrimental to us?It is applicable to all. We have got a forward most-favoured nation status. If they give any concessions, it’s for all. There’s already a Draghi report (a panel led by former Italian PM). It is talking of simplification and deregulation. We have protected our interests and ensured that verifiers will be approved in India and taxes paid in India will be recognised by Europe.How confident are you of the deal going through European Council without any difficulty?Every country in Europe has welcomed it.Will it need to be ratified by every EU member nation?No, it does not have to.India has offered concessions to British and European automobiles. Have Japan and Korea come forward and dropped their reluctance for a review of their FTAs and what is the progress on the Asean review?With Japan and South Korea, we have not had any discussions on automobiles at all. With Korea, the review process has started, but because of frequent changes of govts there, it is a little slow. Asean review has started and it’s progressing well.In last eight months, this is the fourth negotiation that you’ve wrapped up. How much of speed would you attribute to change in the global landscape in this period, prompting countries to engage more?Everybody looks at their interests. If their interests are being served, they want to engage with India. I have been seeing this trend for past 3-4 years.Europe is now fully covered through India’s three FTAs and you’re in talks with Canada, Mexico for a preferential trade agreement, Chile and Mercosur, apart from the US. How soon will you have agreements covering North and South?Whenever we get a good deal, which is in national interest, we’ll conclude. We are open to negotiating with all economies that believe in fair trade and fair play, don’t hurt India’s interests, and respect our sensitivities. We will move ahead wherever India gets a geopolitical, strategic and business advantage.It’s almost 12 months since talks with the US began. Is there disappointment at the pace and the kind of actions taken by the US?Not at all. Every country looks after its own interests. We have to protect ours.How soon will the reconciliation happen?Negotiations continue in a friendly manner.There are certain sectors such as textiles and leather, which have seen some slowdown. Is there need for some support for them?We are open to that. But as things stand, most of them are looking at alternative markets.It will take time for the four trade deals that have been announced to be ratified. How will exporters navigate this phase?These aren’t the only markets and even with duties, many of these markets have opportunities. Many businessmen have already started factoring those in. By the time they do the groundwork, the agreements will start falling into place.You proposed a review of SEZ regulations. How far has that progressed?We are engaged in discussions to find the right balance to make sure the domestic industry doesn’t get hurt.With trade deals do you see India becoming a hub for exports, as a bridge between countries?An FTA is not just about tariffs. It is about predictability and certainty. It gives confidence to investors that if they invest in a country, their business will not get adversely affected by any change of policy. Therefore, every FTA leads to an increase in investment. A few months ago, a leading German firm got land in Dahej (Gujarat) within a space of days and is investing $1.5 billion. I had suggested to the CEO that the firm should hold a board meeting here, and they, I am pleased to tell you, held their first meeting here, their first outside Germany. I met them and was told that they are now setting up a large GCC for R&D in Hyderabad and also looking for land near a port for a chemical zone. This is the kind of opportunity that we can offer now, and there is enormous potential.Congress’ Jairam Ramesh raised concerns over EU deal, including IPR.Some anti-development politicians during their tenure as ministers failed India. There used to be so much difficulty in getting environmental approval during UPA. Either you paid an environment levy or you didn’t get approvals. It is, to say the least, hilarious to see such people making these comments. I can assure you that the IPR chapter is a very robust chapter. It is aligned to our commitments under TRIPS. We have IPR chapters in the agreements with Switzerland and the UK, and everybody has seen those chapters. Nobody has ever found a single fault.

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US President Donald Trump said on Thursday (US local time) that he hopes to avoid military action against Iran and has plans to pursue further talks with Tehran on a possible nuclear deal, even as the United States ramps up its military presence in the Middle East.The President spoke to reporters at the premiere of a documentary about First Lady Melania, confirming that the US military presence in the region is expanding but expressing a preference for diplomacy. “I built (up) the military in my first term, and now we have a group headed out to a place called Iran, and hopefully we won’t have to use it,” Trump said.

Asked if he would have talks with Iran, he added, “We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now. And it would be great if we didn’t have to use them,” he said. Trump added that he had laid out clear demands to Tehran: “I told them two things; Number one no nuclear. And number two stop killing protesters. … They’re going to have to do something.”His comments came amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, with the US continuing to deploy warships and air assets across the Middle East. During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also warned Iran against pursuing nuclear weapons and said the military was prepared to act under Trump’s orders.Referring to possible strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Hegseth said, “When President Trump said, ‘We’re not getting a nuclear Iran,’ he meant it.”Also read | ‘He meant it’: Pete Hegseth warns Iran on nukes, signals Trump has military options readyAccording to CNN sources, Trump is weighing a large-scale attack on the Islamic Republic led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with discussions focusing on targeting senior figures in Iran’s leadership. Reuters reported that the talks have also explored creating conditions for “regime change” following a harsh crackdown by Iranian authorities on nationwide protests earlier this month that killed thousands of people.Iran has witnessed one of the largest anti-regime protest movements in decades, driven by economic hardship, rising prices, and inflation. Trump is said to believe the unrest could be used to consolidate anti-Khamenei sentiment and potentially turn it in his favor to facilitate a regime change.Trump’s tensions with Iran date back to his first term in office, during which he consistently sought to pressure Tehran to curb its nuclear ambitions.