Stokes aiming for Pakistan
All-rounder could return to England attack
One peculiarity of England in one-day international cricket is that batsmen called up seldom play in the same position as they do for their counties.
This year, Joe Denly was selected at five in South Africa; he had batted there only twice in county cricket. In the same series, Somerset opener Tom Banton batted at six, shuffling up the order to four – a position he has never occupied in domestic one-day cricket – against Ireland in this current ODI series.
“I’m not going to lie, it does feel unnatural,” said Banton, who has managed scores of only 11 and 15 as England have gone 2-0 up in the series ahead of today’s final match.
“I have never batted there in my life, so it is different; it is about getting used to it and the tempo.”
The situation is a reflection of two characteristics of the English game. As pitches have improved in one-day cricket, the top of the order has become the best place to bat. And the 18-county system means that talent is relatively diluted – teams want their best batsmen at the top of the order to give them maximum opportunity to shape games.
Of the one-day cricketers in contention for England, Sam Billings is the only one whose preferred position for his county is outside the top four – which is perhaps why he has batted at five with such assurance this series.
Banton has won selection thanks to his brilliant domestic form as an opener – last season he averaged 41 in the Royal London One-day Cup, top-scoring with 69 in the final. Should he bat lower in the county
game to make himself more familiar with the middle-order role he is likely to fulfil for England?
“It is probably the most difficult sports team in the world to get into at the moment – especially for me trying to get in past Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy,” Banton said. “If I do play for England, I am probably not going to be at the top of the order as the team is so strong.”
He has worked with Marcus Trescothick, England’s batting coach this series, on methods to build his innings in a different way, but believes that it would be perverse to move from the top of the order in the domestic game.
“It’s a hard one. I love opening, so I’ll probably carry on doing that. It’s tricky, if I do want to play [for England] I’m probably going to slide in at six, realistically.”
Banton’s situation is a snapshot of the challenge that insurgents striving to get into England’s white-ball batting line-up face. It is not merely extraordinarily tough to get into the side; when chances for players eventually do come, they are almost invariably out of position, too.