The name Tom Banton might not ring a bell to many, but for a few who remember the England batsman who was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League. Recently, Banton was in the news where he expressed his need of being utilised as a player on the fied rather than sit out on the bench, which he did mostly during his stint with KKR.
Banton’s Tough Stay In The IPL
Banton couldn’t quite make a mark during his time with Kolkata Knight Riders. In the two matches he featured, he managed to score a mere 18 runs. An opportunity which in his ranks could count as wasted one, since he had left behind his county team Somerset to feature in the IPL. “Growing up as a kid the IPL was a tournament that I absolutely loved watching. But I feel like I’m at a stage now where I need to be playing cricket instead of sitting on the bench”, he said while talking to Sky Sports.
Dissappointed Banton Returns To Somerset
Tom Banton is now back in England and having returned to his county side Somerset, wants to focus more on playing test cricket. At being sidelined, Banton expressed his dissappointment – “The last year has taught me quite a bit, obviously all these tournaments are great but a lot of them I’ve been sitting on the sidelines and not really doing a huge amount. I miss batting and playing cricket if I’m being honest.”
Moreover, Banton wants to leave behind the shortest format of the game and get back to test cricket. “I feel at this point in my career it’s probably best if I play a few red-ball games for Somerset and get back into that because I do miss playing red-ball cricket and my ambition is still to play Test cricket”, he added. Which is also the reason why Banton will not feature in the next edition of the Indian Premier League (2021).