Sri Lanka v England: Tom Banton’s unbeaten half-century secures victory by six wickets in DLS chase in second T20 international in Pallekele

Encouragingly for England on the eve of the sub-continental T20 World Cup, the spin department is in good shape.

A total of 12 overs yielded three wickets for 81 runs at an economy rate of 6.75; it was a return that underlined their increased control and reliability.

Rashid remains the best of the bunch, able to quell momentum and produce breakthroughs at crucial moments.

The veteran leg-spinner’s jab may have been well-studied by opposition batsmen, but he still remains a potent weapon, as Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka discovered when he got stuck while bending his legs.

Dawson’s left-arm spin provided much-needed control in the middle and slowed down his pace against left- and right-handed players; Jacks, on the other hand, continued to mature as a bowling option and exploited his angles well.

Brook has plenty of options to fall back on even when the pitch isn’t returning very well.

One minor concern for England with less than a week to go before a major tournament was that their seam bowling wasn’t quite on target.

This warning comes with the recognition that the ground at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium is a used ground and the margin for error is very small.

Yet while Jamie Overton struggled with his height, Curran, who bagged a costly hat-trick in the opening T20, was surprisingly lacking in belief after conceding 14 from his first match.

Archer fared slightly better and took two wickets despite being targeted early and Nissanka bowled him over in the opening over.

However, Archer recovered well to bowl effectively at the death as Sri Lanka pushed for a total in excess of 200.