Banton whacks England to victory over Sri Lanka

Second T20 international, Pallekele

Sri Lanka 189-5 (20.0 overs): Rathnayake 40 (22); Archer 2-42, Jacks 1-24

England 173-4 (16.4 overs): Banton 54* (33), Buttler 39 (29); Pathirana 2-47

England won by six wickets runs; lead three-match series 2-0

Scorecard

Tom Banton whacked an unbeaten half-century as England pulled off a brilliant DLS chase to beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the second T20 international.

The players had gone off for rain with England 57-2 off 7.2 overs - Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell the batters out - and when they returned the tourists were set a revised DLS target of 168 off 17 overs.

Jos Buttler laid the platform with a 29-ball 39 but Harry Brook truly gave England belief during a brutal and breathtaking cameo in Pallekele.

Brook spanked four sixes during a knock of 36 off 12 balls as he seized the initiative only to be caught scooping the slingy Matheesha Pathirana.

With 38 runs off 33 balls required, Banton played with calculated aggression en route to 54 not out off 33 balls to put England on the brink of victory.

The match went down to the final over but Sam Curran duly whacked Janith Liyanage for six to wrap up the win with two balls to spare.

Sri Lanka had earlier posted a competitive 189-5 after being inserted by England as Pavan Rathnayake top scored with 40 off 22 balls.

Pathum Nissanka had set the tone after he and fellow opener Kamil Mishara hammered 35 off the first two overs of the match.

However, England's spinners stymied the hosts' attacking intent with controlled spells through the middle overs as Adil Rashid, Liam Dawson and Will Jacks all picked up a wicket apiece.

Jofra Archer claimed 2-42 but fellow seamers Jamie Overton and Curran were both expensive and wicketless.

England's victory ensured they clinched the series 2-0 with one match left to play before their opening game of the T20 World Cup against Nepal on 8 February.

Banton burst on to the international scene for England in 2019 with some eye-catching performances as a 21-year-old.

A blur of flamboyant strokeplay and powerful ball striking, he was perhaps found wanting when it came to consistency, especially in his previous guise opening.

There were question marks as to whether he could hack it when under pressure while injuries also checked his progress.

At the age of 27, and in England's middle order, the Somerset man looks a much more rounded player at home on the global stage.

This was an innings of tempered aggression and one which was the glue that bound England's chase together.

Banton swept and reverse swept quite beautifully against Sri Lanka's spinners, striking four fours and three sixes.

He also knew when to play second fiddle - while Brook was going berserk, for example - which showed useful situational awareness.

"You've got to give yourself a chance to get out there and assess the wicket," Banton said at the post-match presentation.

"Where there's a bit of hold and turn, it's essential to be able to sweep the ball. The Sri Lankan spinners keep it nice and straight so you've got to hit it."

His chance here came courtesy of Ben Duckett nursing a finger injury and England will now have a decision to make for the World Cup.

Another decent outing in the final T20 on Tuesday and it could be Banton's place in the middle to lose.

"I think most of my career I've been opening. I've got a new role with England which is exciting," Banton added.

"I just want to try and play all formats and hopefully take my chance when I get it."

Encouragingly for England on the eve of a subcontinental T20 World Cup, their spin department is holding up well.

A combined 12 overs yielded three wickets for 81 runs at an economy rate of 6.75, a return that underlined their growing control and reliability.

Rashid remains the ace in the pack, capable of stifling momentum and producing breakthroughs at key moments.

The experienced leg-spinner's googly may have been well studied by opposition batters, but it remains a potent weapon, as Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka discovered when he was trapped lbw slogging to leg.

Dawson's left-arm spin provided much-needed control through the middle overs, slowing down his speeds to left vs right handers, while Jacks continues to mature as a bowling option, and used his angles well.

Brook has plenty of options to turn to even when the pitch does not spin big.

A slight concern for England, with just under a week to go before a major tournament, was that their seam bowling did not quite hit the mark.

That caveat comes with the acknowledgement that the surface at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium was a used one, offering little margin for error.

Nevertheless Jamie Overton struggled with his length, while Curran, fresh from an expensive hat-trick in the opening T20, surprisingly lacked conviction after conceding 14 from his first over.

Archer fared slightly better, picking up two wickets despite being targeted early on, with Nissanka launching him out of the ground in his opening over.

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

England captain Harry Brook: "I thought we played outstanding there, especially with the bat. To win the series is awesome.

"I think the more time we get out in the middle puts us into good shape for the World Cup. The way Banton played there was great. There's plenty of batters in there. We just go out there and chase.

"The spinners have been awesome, that's why we decided to pick two frontline spinners, to help restrict those runs in the middle."

Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka: "We did a lot of things right. It's not the rain, but the fact that Eshan Malinga got injured played a part. Normally he's a very good death bowler but we lost him so there's a reason [for the loss].

"Every batter got starts so happy about the way they played and accelerated. There were a few overs where we couldn't capitalise but Adil Rashid bowled well.

"We know that because we've played on spin tracks the past two years. It's the home advantage so no doubt about it we need to use that."