After surviving a scare in opposition to Nepal and a loss in opposition to the West Indies, England has reached the semifinals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 after beating Sri Lanka and Pakistan on the Super Eight stage.
Although Harry Brook is the speak of the city for his 51-ball 100 in opposition to Pakistan that sealed the deal, earlier than the captain struck kind, a number of the different gamers held fort within the group stage.
Tom Banton, who batted at No.4 in these matches, is considered one of them.
After a stop-start profession from 2019, the right-hander showcased a distinct aspect of his expertise within the must-win match in opposition to Scotland with a 41-ball 63* chasing a goal of 153. Next, in opposition to Italy, he scored 30 off 21, a recreation that England received by 24 runs.
Banton is a kind of gamers identified for sweeping and reverse-sweeping spinners. Scotland captain Richie Berrington even had fields set for the shot, however the batter accessed different areas utilizing his toes, punishing left-arm spinner Mark Watt by smashing sixes over his head. It got here as a shock, but in addition highlighted the onerous work off the sector and the way it augurs nicely for Brook and Co within the semifinals.
CREATING A ROUTINE TO IMPROVE
Banton was fortunate to be mentored by professionals in his journey in direction of maturity. At his county membership, Somerset, periods with former assistant coach and batting lead Shane Burger drastically helped his batting expertise.
“Tom and I kept things simple. It was about him understanding a routine and a consistent way of training he needed to stick to. We worked hard on his posture when the ball is being released. He has a unique way of standing with his knees quite bent and looking over his shoulder to give himself the best chance to move and make the best decisions according to the ball,” Burger informed SportsBoom.co.uk.
Training in opposition to actual bowlers, and never counting on side-arm throwdowns, improved his recreation.
“He likes to train with the ball out of hand, and bowlers. I have thrown a lot of balls at him and advised him on areas of development. We created a routine which became consistent,” added Burger, beneath whom Somerset made three Vitality Blast finals in a row and received two of them. Banton was a standout performer in 2023 and 2024 with 468 and 515 runs, respectively.
Banton at 27 is totally different from the participant he was at 21.
“Tom is taking his game to another level with how he is adjusting to conditions. If he feels the wicket is bouncing and spinning, he can use his conventional sweeps, but if he feels the wicket might be a bit more and skidding on, he might use his feet and look to hit straighter. It is something he has been working on. Cricket maturity over the years has helped make better decisions,” stated the 43-year-old.
BANTON AT NO. 4 IN T20Is
The expressive batter used to open the innings in his preliminary years. Now, England is taking a look at him because the finisher.
“I think the No 4 spot is one that Tom has developed into. At the front end of his career, he was an opening batter and understood how to bat in the powerplay. Now that he has more experience, he is developing skills that he might need while playing spin to bat at that position. It allows him to bat freely. He is older, wiser and more skilful to bat at No. 4,” stated Burger, who spent three years at Somerset from 2023 to 2025.
Ahead of the T20 World Cup semifinals, Burger desires Banton to maintain backing his recreation.
“He is playing in a particular way, and that’s why he has got into that position. He has shown that he can impact games against the world’s best teams and players,” he stated.
HIGH-RISK CRICKETING SHOTS
His unbeaten 30 off 11 balls in opposition to the West Indies in Bristol final yr, and the unbeaten 54 off 33 balls in opposition to Sri Lanka in Pallekele, within the three-match sequence main as much as the World Cup, framed him as a grasp chaser.
“During failures, instead of beating himself up, he continued to play in the same way, and now he has become more consistent. Failure doesn’t get through to him as such, and he continues to play those shots. He sees the ball like a football, like he does most days, with a level of refinement,” Phil Lewis, his cricket coach and boarding home grasp at King’s College, Taunton, informed this publication.
Lewis, who additionally educated Jos Buttler, shared an incident from his junior cricket days which finest describes his psychological power.
“I remember him scoring 150 off 40-50 balls by reverse-sweeping multiple balls for six. And that was after a couple of other matches when he got out reverse-sweeping. He has been constantly learning, developing, and dominating the game by playing in a high-risk manner, which is why he is getting picked. The risk is being refined through the different levels of cricket,” he stated, including: He is superb in a crew setting, and crew talks, and a assured younger man.”
Banton is barely 33 T20Is outdated, and his future will depend upon how he goes about his recreation within the World Cup semifinal.
