Bethell stars as England warms up in style for T20 World Cup by routing Sri Lanka 3-0 in series

PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) — England rounded off its T20 World Cup preparations in style by sweeping the series 3-0 against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell (4-11) was the unlikely hero as he grabbed the last four wickets in eight balls and Sri Lanka crumbled to 116 all out in the third and final game.

Sam Curran’s career-best 58 off 48 balls had earlier lifted England to 128-9. Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera also took a career-best 5-24 in his first game of the series.

“That was awesome, a great win to be part of,” England captain Harry Brook said. “We’ve shown we can adapt to surfaces. Tonight was a tricky one to bat on . . . the World Cup is here so when we have the opportunity to play here, we have the experiences to carry over.”

Sri Lanka needed 17 off 17 balls before Bethell ran through the tail by claiming three wickets in the 18th over. He then had Maheesh Theekshana caught at short third man.

In Bethell’s game-turning over, Jos Buttler hung onto a brilliant diving catch to dismiss Dunith Wellalage, Chameera offered a tame catch in the covers and skipper Dasun Shanaka was stumped while trying to go for a big shot on a dusty wicket.

For the second game in succession, Sri Lanka's batters struggled to cope with England's spinners, losing their last eight wickets for just 54 runs with Will Jacks (3-14) also starring.

Kusal Mendis top-scored with 26 and Pathum Nissanka (23) hit three sixes in his 12-ball knock before slicing Liam Dawson to Jacks on the edge of the circle in the covers.

Earlier, England crashed to 34-4 inside the power play after Brook had won his third successive toss and elected to bat.

With the ball gripping on the surface, Chameera varied his pace intelligently and made an immediate impact when he had Ben Duckett trapped leg before wicket for a first-ball duck.

Matheesha Pathirana struck twice with his slingy action when Bethell was caught behind and Brook lobbed an easy catch to extra cover after being beaten by a slower delivery.

England slipped to 47-5 when Theekshana hit the top of Buttler’s stumps with a delivery that zipped back in. Curran then held one end up with a gritty knock that featured six fours and a six.

Chameera picked up three wickets towards the end, while Curran fell when he top edged to third man in the final over.

“Very disappointed,” Shanaka said. “We lost 3-0. As captain I need to address the areas really well to play a good World Cup. We are looking forward to it and we desperately want to deliver something special.”

The World Cup starts Saturday.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka, center, plays a shot during the third T20 cricket match between England and Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Feb, 3. 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

England's players celebrate after winning third T20 cricket match against Sri Lanka at Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Feb, 3. 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

England's Sam Curran plays a shot during the third T20 cricket match between England and Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Feb, 3. 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

England's Jacob Bethell, left, and Jos Buttler celebrates the wicket of Sri Lanka's Dunith Wellalage during the third T20 cricket match between England and Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, Feb, 3. 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.

Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.

Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.

Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.

Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."

Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”

Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)