Tom Banton’s rich showing in franchise leagues and last year’s County Championship hastened his comeback to the England white-ball team, with backing from Brendon McCullum. On Saturday, the No. 4 batter ensured he didn’t let the head coach down at Eden Gardens as he took England to victory after an early wobble.
England didn’t have a huge target to chase, as spin duo Liam Dawson (2/34) and Adil Rashid (3/36) restricted Scotland to 152 in 19.4 overs in this Group C match of the T20 World Cup. But they came under pressure, losing two wickets for only 13 on the board in two overs.
Fortunately, in Banton (63 not out off 41 balls) the team found someone stable, steady and importantly, judicious in shot selection, as he took them to a five-wicket victory with 10 balls to spare. An unexpected loss to the West Indies in the last game did create a few ripples in the camp, but for the time being, England’s nerves have been calmed down by their spinners and of course, Banton.
His place in the side could well have been under the scanner again as he had managed just two in each of England’s games against Nepal and the Windies. On Saturday, though, before a very impressive turnout of 41,271 at the Eden, Banton not just avoided the reverse sweep, one of his go-to strokes, but focused on proper cricketing shots using his feet well. His unbeaten innings of 63 included four boundaries and three maximums.
England needed someone to hold one end up after loose strokes from openers Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and captain Harry Brook. And Banton, assisted by cameos from Jacob Bethell (32 off 28 balls) and Sam Curran (28 off 20 balls), was up to the task.
Rashid’s guile
Jofra Archer (2/24)’s first-spell burst had the Scots wobbling at 42/3 towards the end of the Powerplay, after they were put in. But a counterattacking stand featuring captain
Richie Berrington (49 off 32 balls) and Tom Bruce (24 off 18 balls) put the pressure right back on England, with Scotland’s scoring rate moving up to nine an over.
Just as the scenario started looking ominous for England, An accurate Dawson and crafty Rashid quickly turned the game on its head. While Dawson induced a mistimed shot from Bruce, Rashid’s slider trapped Berrington LBW, denying the skipper a half-century.
Following those two breakthroughs, the Scotland innings fell through.
Rashid, in particular, deserves special mention as he bounced back in style after taking some serious stick from Berrington when bowling from the pavilion end. He seemed a different bowler after changing ends.
Brief scores: Scotland 152 in 19.4 ovs (Richie Berrington 49; Adil Rashid 3/36, Jofra Archer 2/24, Liam Dawson 2/34). England 155/5 in 18.2 ovs (Tom Banton 63 n.o., Jacob Bethell 32; Brad Currie 1/21). England won by 5 wickets.
