Tom Banton fifty steers DLS chase to seal series for England

Tom Banton's clinical half-century and a breathless Harry Brook cameo gave England an unassailable 2-0 lead over Sri Lanka, and left them with a problem of plenty ahead of the start of the T20 World Cup next weekend.

England's solid start in an attempt to chase 190 was interrupted for more than an hour by unexpected rain in Pallekele, and they were set a stiff DLS-adjusted equation of 111 more runs off the last 9.4 overs when the weather cleared. But Banton's 54 not out off 29 balls - his first England fifty in four years - and Brook's 36 off 12 saw them home with two balls unused.

Banton, an opener by trade, has been fashioned into a finisher since returning to the England side last summer and looked like a placeholder for the injured Ben Duckett when picked at No. 4 for this series. But he has been a cut above his England team-mates when facing Sri Lanka's spinners and will be hard to leave out even when Duckett's bruised finger has recovered.

For all the doom and gloom in English cricket after another Ashes debacle in Australia, England have now won nine of their last 10 completed T20Is since Brook took over as captain last summer and will head into their opening match against Nepal next week confident that they can mount a genuine challenge for the World Cup title that they surrendered two years ago.

England owed plenty to their three-man spin attack, who returned combined figures of 3 for 81 from 12 overs; their seamers, by contrast, leaked 103 runs from eight overs. It was a familiar story for Sri Lanka, whose innings faded after a bright start. With a platform of 102 for 1 off 10 overs, they should have managed more than 189 for 5 - not least with three dropped catches.

Sri Lanka may also rue their luck, given the unexpected change in conditions. Dasun Shanaka, their captain, was happy to bat first on a used pitch but his bowlers struggled for control with a wet ball after the rain break, and lost Eshan Malinga to a shoulder injury sustained off the first ball of the resumption. "That's the reason [we lost]," Shanaka said.

Banton was a dominant leg-side player when he burst into international cricket as a precocious 20-year-old back in 2019 but expanded his game significantly after dropping out of the England set-up in his early 20s and proved as much when taking on Sri Lanka's spinners through the middle overs.

He reverse-swept Wanindu Hasaranga and launched Dunith Wellalage over extra cover for sixes, and brought up a 29-ball half-century by drilling Shanaka's medium pace through wide long-on. "Most of my career I've been opening, and I've got a new role with England which has been really exciting," Banton said. "It was a great night. Great to get a series win."

England lost two early wickets: Phil Salt sliced Matheesha Pathirana's slower ball to short third, and Jacob Bethell edged behind looking to uppercut Shanaka's short ball. Jos Buttler looked ominous early on, pinging consecutive boundaries off Pathirana, but fell to an excellent diving catch at deep point by Pavan Rathnayake, looking to hit Wellalage for six.

But the required rate never spiralled out of control thanks to both Banton and Brook, who hit four of the 12 balls he faced for six in an outrageous cameo. He hit four consecutive legal balls from Pathirana for four, six, six and six - with an over's gap in the middle - as he repeatedly gave himself room and blazed over extra cover, before he was caught trying to lap-pull over fine leg.

It left Banton to see England home, with Sam Curran delivering the winning blow by hoisting Janith Liyanage's medium pace over wide long-on for six.

Pathum Nissanka got Sri Lanka off to a lively start, hitting Curran for three consecutive boundaries in the first over before flicking Jofra Archer for six. He continued to attack when Brook threw the ball to his spinners, slog-sweeping Will Jacks for six, before chopping Archer onto his own stumps for a 22-ball 34.

Sri Lanka managed 58 for 1 in the Powerplay and Kusal Mendis took over from Nissanka, dragging Adil Rashid through midwicket for back-to-back fours and using his paddle-sweep to get Liam Dawson away. But Kamil Mishara could not score as freely, and picked out long-on on 36 when he tried to launch Jacks for six.

It was thanks to Rathanayake that Sri Lanka's innings did not completely fade away. Picked on the back of his sparkling century in the third ODI earlier in the week, his 40 off 22 balls featured several slices of luck - a top-edged pull for six, a bottom-edged sweep for four, and a reprieve on 12 thanks to Banton - but may have earned him a spot in their T20 World Cup squad, which is yet to be announced.

But Mendis fell top-edging a sweep, Shanaka was pinned lbw by a googly, and Charith Asalanka never got going despite two reprieves of his own: one tough chance, which Salt parried over the rope, and a much easier drop by Banton at deep square leg. But Banton made amends, and left Sri Lanka with more questions than answers.