Gooch tries to put England in a spin for World T20

England's defence of the World Twenty20 title will reveal much about their powers of recovery - and not just from the absence of Kevin Pietersen. England are back in Asia, playing on the slow, low pitches which caused them so much angst earlier this year.

After four successive defeats, a Test victory against Sri Lanka in Colombo in April suggested they were beginning to find their feet in Asian conditions. But since then life has been dominated by a damp English summer and pace, first from Kemar Roach, and then Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

The first half of England's winter also includes the longest Test tour to India for 20 years. A three-week gap splits the World Twenty20 (if England reach the latter stages) and their departure to India to play four Tests, a series for which they have vowed to prepare as if it were the Ashes.

During the English summer, Graham Gooch, the batting coach, tried to prepare for the winter by squeezing in a few extra sessions against spin. Obviously it is impossible in England to find pitches like those in Colombo, Ahmedabad and Nagpur.

A little imagination is needed, which is where Gooch, one of England's best players of spin, is important. Sometimes the answer to a complex question is simple and despite all the technological trickery available these days, Gooch used a rubber mat he keeps in the back of his car to try and replicate a subcontinental surface. In the past players have used half-width bats, although this is geared more towards the Tests than the World Twenty20.

"When you are in England you have to do anything to make it turn more," Gooch said. "You throw the mat down in the nets and the ball turns off the dimples. The batsman has to think quickly and use his feet and hands. It might help make that little bit of difference and you have to try anything to try and develop a good technique against spin.

"We improved playing spin as the winter went on but it is not a quick fix. You don't suddenly become a good player of spin. It takes a long time to work and evolve. You have to introduce into your game a lot of skills.

"You can't play spin without being able to defend first, which means judging flight, length and a whole myriad of things that we have to improve. We are trying to get away from regular practice and trying to make it more interesting with more stimulating variations. We take them out of their comfort zones. You have to practise the basics, because everyone needs strong basics, but it is about adding that extra little bit."

English batsmen like pace on the ball. Jos Buttler's ramp shot was thrilling to watch against South Africa last week but playing it in Sri Lanka in a tournament dominated by spin will be a challenge.

England were not good enough at moving their feet quickly or being able to hit powerfully straight down the ground when the World Cup was held in the subcontinent last year. In the quarter-final in Colombo they were completely nullified by the conditions.

This tournament takes place much later in the year and just as the rainy season has cleared. England will have taken heart from rumours that the pitches in Sri Lanka may have some pace and juice. But all things are relative. This is pace in a Sri Lankan sense.

The World Twenty20 still looks set to be a stage for the world's best slow bowlers, from the mystery of Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal to India's Ravi Ashwin and the young West Indian Sunil Narine.

Sri Lanka have unearthed yet another unorthodox spinner in Akila Dananjaya, an 18 year-old who turned up as a net bowler but impressed Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, to such an extent that he asked for him to be fast-tracked into the national squad.

Reports claim he can bowl a leg-break, googly, carrom ball, doosra and an off-spinner. It is a bag of tricks so big it would count as excess baggage on a flight and is a ticket to a big Indian Premier League deal.

New Zealand and Australia, two other nations who have struggled recently against spin, have spent the past few weeks playing in Asia. England have not had that luxury. Instead Gooch's old car mat and some cramming time in the nets in Colombo will have to suffice.