Tom Banton steps up for Team England in ICC Champions Trophy
England is beginning their International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy campaign without Jacob Bethel for the rest of the season due to injury. Tom Banton steps in as a replacement, confirming his return to the national team for the tournament. He’s playing in the third One Day International (ODI) against Team Australia on the 22nd of February.
Tom Banton's possible contribution to the squad
Wicket-keeper batsman Tom Banton is replacing batting all-rounder Jacob Bethel in the English Team. He hasn’t been on the national team since 2020 after facing stiff competition among other English cricketers. In the meantime, he’s batted mostly for Twenty20 International (T20I) where he’s shown a strong performance as the leading run-scorer.
However, he’s mostly renowned for his participation in limited-over formats instead of longer cricket. England has often favoured Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler for the roles he’s expected to fill. Now with Jacob Bethel injured and out for the season, Team England had to recall their Tom Banton.
Adding another batter, especially one from the T20 format, gives England a more aggressive playstyle for the 50-over format. He is speculated to be a strong opening batsman specialising in powerplay. It’s a great opportunity to overwhelm Australia which is currently missing key players like captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Mitchel Marsh.
Jacob Bethel's injury and other status update on the ODI
Jacob Bethel suffered a left hamstring injury during the ODI series against India at the 3rd ODI on the 12th of February 2025. It was so bad that he was ruled out of the 2025 Champions Trophy but he will have further assessment at Ahmedabad when the team arrives on Monday. It was unfortunate for the team but they lost the game to Team India who is now leading the series by 1-0 lead.
Tom Banton's first game is on 22nd February
The game with Australia will be at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. There were other names considered before they eventually chose Tom Banton including Finn Allen, the New Zealand wicket-keeper with over 160 strike rate. Kyle Mayers was also mentioned for his flexibility.
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