We're very different in how we go about things: Dawson on England's spin bank

England's Super Eight campaign may still be taking shape, but one trend in their tournament so far has been clear: a growing reliance on spin. Across venues, England have increasingly leaned on their slower bowlers to control different phases of the game.

The numbers underline that shift. England's spinners have picked up 19 wickets in the tournament, the third-most among all teams. Under captain Harry Brook, the side has bowled more overs of spin than pace, with 53.2 per cent of their overs coming from slower bowlers.

Brook is the only England skipper to use spin for more than 40 per cent of overs among those who have led in at least 10 matches. In conditions like Pallekele, that flexibility has allowed England to operate with multiple spin options across phases rather than treating spin as a middle-overs-only resource.

Liam Dawson pointed to the variety within the group as a key reason behind that comfort.

"I think we're all very different types of spinners. Obviously Jacksy [Will Jacks] gets very good overspin, very good bounce. Adil [Rashid] has all the variations and me, I sort of don't get the bounce that the other two get. So, yeah, we're very different in how we go about things," Dawson said ahead of England's match against Pakistan.

"We're all very experienced. There's a lot of trust in the guys that go out there and try and execute. Some days it works, and obviously some days it doesn't, but I think T20 cricket can be a little fickle sometimes."

Considering the varied spin options, the brief to the slow bowlers can also differ. For Dawson, the role is often about keeping things quiet and allowing pressure to build. He is the second-highest wicket-taker among England's spinners since the 2024 T20 World Cup, with 22 wickets at an average of 20.59.

"We're all very different. I'm probably more the defensive spinner and I know that's my role. Adil can use all his tricks to get the wickets. Jacks has been brilliant, he's exploited conditions here very well with the overspin he gets. So we're all very different and hopefully we can continue."

For all the control with the ball, England know their batting against spin can still be better. Dawson, though, framed it through results first.

"Of course, we know that we can play a lot better than we've played, but at the end of the day in tournament cricket you just need to get the win. However ugly it looks," said Dawson. "We know that we can bat a lot better, but we've won games and that's the main thing."