England hope Banton can be ‘new Pietersen’
After a superb Big Bash, the young batsman tells Nick Hoult he will target the T20 World Cup
Tom Banton has been likened to Kevin Pietersen and, with an Indian Premier League contract already in his pocket at the age of just 21, his aim is now to play his way into England’s Twenty20 World Cup team.
In his three Twenty20 internationals so far, he has given glimpses of his talent, but in the 50-over and Twenty20 series against South Africa over the next two weeks Banton can prove he is to England’s white-ball game what Ollie Pope is to Test cricket.
Banton netted with England in Paarl yesterday fresh from a brilliant Big Bash series in Australia that included three fifties and a strike rate of 176 runs per 100 balls. He hit five sixes in one over on course to the second-fastest fifty in the tournament’s history off 16 balls, and his powerful, orthodox hitting, blended with 360-degree invention, left Darren Lehmann, his coach at Brisbane Heat, describing him privately as one of the best batsmen to whom he had ever given throw-downs.
Kolkata Knight Riders have signed him for the IPL and he is the most likely young batsman to break into England’s line-up.
Michael Vaughan compares him to Pietersen for his power and presence at the crease and predicts he will even play Test cricket this summer. Writing in his Telegraph column at the end of the Port Elizabeth Test, Vaughan urged Banton to give up his IPL deal to play county cricket for Somerset instead, but Banton confirmed yesterday he would go to India.
It is understood his name has been discussed for the forthcoming Sri Lanka
Test tour, but the selectors are likely to want to see more form in red-ball cricket for Somerset first.
A Test cap may be further down the line, but Banton can target the
Twenty20 World
Cup in Australia in October if he can replicate his form in franchise cricket for
England. The white-ball leg of the tour starts today, with the first of two warm-up games in Paarl before the three-match ODI series against South
Africa begins on
Tuesday. The tour ends with three T20s, crucial matches as England form their World Cup plans.
“I’d love to be a part of that
[Twenty20
World Cup]. The white-ball team seems so strong at the moment, but I’d love to go.
We’ve got the summer coming up and an IPL, so I think some strong performances there are going to help,” he said.
Banton made three T20 appearances in New Zealand before Christmas for England, hitting some powerful shots without ever going on to contribute a decent score. But his strength and range of hitting caught the eye. He is capable of hitting a straight ball through the on side with power. His bat swing and strength allow him to hit balls from wide outside off stump
over wide long on, allowing him to access all areas of the ground. Banton can play strong orthodox shots but also has all the reverse ramps and flicks. He just has to learn when to play them and not be too funky all the time.
Banton wants to play Test cricket, but his schedule over the next six months includes the Pakistan Super League in March, IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders until the middle of May, Vitality Blast for Somerset and appearing in the Hundred for Welsh Fire. It leaves just a couple of small windows to play championship cricket for Somerset.
“This last year has been a whirlwind. I was in Perth last year playing first grade [cricket] for South Perth and I think I averaged 10 across all cricket,” he said. “I wasn’t really sure if I was enjoying it that much, which was a bit of a shame. I’d open and seem to get out in the first two overs and then not do a lot for about a month or so. But definitely I’d like to play Test cricket.”
Adil Rashid is a surprise contender for a place in the squad for the Test tour to Sri Lanka. The leg-spinner has not played since the World Cup due to a chronic right shoulder injury, but six months of rest and strengthening work have improved it to the point where England will be considering him for Test selection if he can prove his fitness in South Africa.
Joe Root is planning talks with Moeen Ali this weekend to persuade him to play the Test series in Sri Lanka. If he fails then Rashid would add experience alongside Jack Leach and Dom Bess, but only if his shoulder is capable of the demands of five-day cricket.