Tom Banton has brilliantly adapted to the middle-order role.
Since his comeback to England’s setup, Tom Banton has played a few impactful knocks in the middle order. The latest one came against Sri Lanka in the second T20I, where he crafted a timely 54 in 33 deliveries at a strike rate of 163.64 at No.4. His knock helped England win the game and seal the series.
Banton has 207 runs at an average of 41.40 and a strike rate of 169.67 in nine innings, including a fifty, since last year. He has hit a boundary every 3.93 deliveries. All this in a completely contrasting role to the one he naturally plays in the top order in T20 cricket.
For England, Tom Banton has played all nine innings at No.4 or below – two at No.4, four at No.5, and three at No.6 in this period. In contrast, he has played only 13.63% of the innings outside the top three in franchise cricket. He has a strike rate of 139.18 in 38 innings in the top three, with five fifties and two centuries, suggesting how quickly he has fit into an uncharacteristic role for the national team.
One major reason why Tom Banton has found ample success in the middle order is his superior spin skills as a batter. Since 2025, Banton has a strike rate of 143.49 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 5.23 against spinners. For England, he strikes at 175.71 and finds the fence every 3.68 deliveries.
These skills again came to the fore against Sri Lanka last night, where he took down the likes of Dunith Wellalage and Wanindu Hasaranga in the middle overs. That deck had ample turn for spinners, and these two are accustomed to such surfaces, but Tom Banton hardly faced any issues. Hence, he becomes crucial for England’s chances at the T20 World Cup 2026.
England will likely play a few matches on tracks assisting slow bowlers, and almost every team has quality spinners. With Harry Brook in the middle, Banton’s presence will further bolster their batting lineup and make them more equipped against slow bowlers. England already have decent spin hitters at the top, and with Banton fitting nicely in the middle order, this batting lineup becomes one of the best to handle slow bowlers, who will play a dominant role throughout the edition.
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