Michael Vaughan wants Tom Banton to skip IPL: Here's why
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has urged young wicket-keeper batsman Tom Banton to withdraw from the upcoming IPL 2020. He wants Banton to focus on the County Championship, in a bid to make it to the Test squad. Banton, who was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) this season, is currently playing in the Big Bash League (BBL) for Brisbane Heat.
Vaughan feels Banton should sweat it out in County cricket
Vaughan said that had he been in charge, he would have asked Banton to give up IPL and sweat it out for Somerset in the County Championship, since the sixth spot in the English Test side is up for grab. "I have seen enough of Banton to know he is a superstar in the making," he wrote for The Telegraph.
The IPL can wait: Vaughan
"I'm not sure a stint in the IPL right now, when he might not get a lot of game time. He has plenty of time to go to India. He needs to play four-day cricket and score some early hundreds," Vaughan further noted.
Banton's career in numbers
As far as Banton's career is concerned, it has been decent. In 21 First-Class innings, he has scored 570 runs at an average of 27.1, including five half-centuries. Meanwhile, he has also played a couple of T20Is, scoring 56 runs and has a strike-rate of 164.7. Overall, he has played 27 T20s, scoring 870 runs at a good average of 34.8, including a century.
Banton roped in by KKR for Rs. 1 crore
It was during the auction last month when Banton was roped in for Rs. 1 crore by former champions KKR. Currently, he is playing in the BBL, where he has scored 223 runs in seven innings at a fine average of 31.85, including three half-centuries. Notably, he is the third-highest run-scorer for his side, while he has the second-best average for them.
Banton lit up BBL with five sixes in an over
After he was purchased by KKR, Banton lit up the BBL. Playing against Sydney Thunder, he smashed five sixes in an over. In the process, he also scored his half-century in just 16 deliveries, the second-fastest in the BBL. Meanwhile, his 19-ball 56 helped Heat win the match by 16 runs, via the D/L method, in a rain-curtailed tie.
