As he concentrates on gaining a regular spot in England’s ODI setup ahead of next year’s World Cup, Tom Banton has no regrets about leaving red-ball cricket. Less than eighteen months ago, after reaching 371 in a first-class match—the greatest individual score in the county’s history—the Somerset batter had become a promising all-format performer.
But after considering the demands of both franchise leagues and international cricket, he decided to sign a white-ball-only contract with Somerset in June. Banton felt something had to give after making a comeback to the England T20 and one-day international teams under close friend Harry Brook. He was also keen to investigate the different franchise prospects.
Independent quotes Banton saying, “With the schedule, if you’re playing county cricket in the English summer and there’s franchise stuff and playing for England, there’s not really ever a break. When I was at the Indian Premier League (this year), I decided to give red-ball cricket a break for a while. I’d been thinking about it for a while and it’s having the confidence to actually do it.”
He further added, “I’m happy I’ve done it and it’s nice to try to be the best white-ball player I can be. I’m not saying no to red-ball cricket, if it happens at the right time for me to come back and play then we’ll see. I’m just trying to play as many games as I can for England and take up franchise opportunities. I’ll be very honest, your career doesn’t last forever and I want to try and make the most of that. I’ve also found it’s important to have your breaks as well, come back refreshed and get that training block in. With the amount of cricket you play, I found it hard to actually train and improve as a batter.”
Although Banton has been a staple in the middle order for England’s T20 teams, he has been marginalized in the ODI squad and has only been given the opportunity to open due to Jacob Bethell’s knee injury. Despite being removed twice after reaching his half-century in England’s two tri-series losses in Pakistan, he has replied with four straight innings of 50 or more, including his first international century last month.
