Hard work starting to pay off as Banton bids to revive his Championship fortunes
TOM Banton is determined to reignite his hugely promising career by establishing himself in Somerset’s County Championship side this summer.
Deemed an emerging white-ball superstar when selected by England for first T20 and then one-day internationals while barely out of his teens, the talented batsman has already had to deal with a dramatic loss of form and confidence.
Now, at the age of 23, Banton insists he has learned from the bitter experience and, with recent Championship half-centuries against Surrey and Warwickshire under his belt, is ready to emerge a more complete player.
In a mature and honest interview for this column, Tom told me: “The last 18 months of my career haven’t gone as I wanted. After a decent year in 2019, I got a bit lazy, if I am honest.
“That showed last season when I didn’t do well. I then had a long hard think and decided I had to change who I was as a person.
“Cricket is like riding the wave because fortunes are so up and down. I was on a high a few years ago and since then there has been a low.
“I opened the batting in red-ball cricket last season, which is probably not my best role. From there, I just felt drained and everything I did seemed to go against me. Confidence, which is so important in cricket, hit rock bottom.
“I think now that the experience did me good. It taught me some lessons and I stepped back and realised what I had to do if I wasn’t going to be washed up in a few years.
“After a nice break during the winter, I came back and worked on quite a few technical issues, which fingers crossed is now starting to pay off.”
Banton was compared to the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Jos Buttler, such was the range of oneday shots he displayed after first being selected by Somerset in T20 cricket back in 2017.
He can already boast 14 England T20 appearances and six one-day internationals. But the last of the latter was in 2020 and a first-class average of less than 25 is disappointing for a player with such natural ability.
“Playing red-ball cricket is huge to me,” said Banton.
“I might not be the best at it yet, but at times this season I have ridden my luck and I am starting to post a few scores.
“Test cricket is an ambition. I don’t know whether I will prove good enough, but I am trying my hardest to improve.
“I have spoken to people and been advised that you don’t play your best Championship cricket until you have 30 or 40 games under your belt.
“I feel I am finding my feet more in the red-ball format, playing balls more on their merit. In the past, I would hit a few boundaries and then get carried away, as most youngsters do.
“It’s a case of being more composed at the crease and trying to keep things simple. Most importantly, I am enjoying my cricket again.
“Our goal at Somerset is to win that first ever Championship title. I know we have not started well this season, but I still think it is possible with the squad we have.”
Cricket is like riding the wave because fortunes are so up and down