“It doesn’t come much bigger than India in India” – Bants previews huge semi-final clash
England face India in the semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tomorrow and those of us who are of a superstitious persuasion are starting to compile a number of potentially match defining omens which will in no way have an impact on the outcome of the tournament. However, what is sport without a little bit of superstition?
This will be the third tournament in a row in which the two sides have clashed at the last four stage. On both occasions, the team who came out on top went on to lift the trophy.
Obviously, beating India on home soil wouldn’t guarantee winning the competition, but it would be a tremendous step in the right direction for England.
What you can guarantee though is that Somerset Members and supporters will be gathered around televisions, phones and laptops across the region to keep an eye on the exploits of Tom Banton.
Whilst other players may have grabbed the headlines during the tournament so far, Somerset’s ‘keeper/batter has amassed his runs at a strike rate of 128 and performed with trademark brutality and poise when called upon. His match winning innings against Scotland once again demonstrated what the Somerset faithful have known for years; the lad can bat!
On the eve of what promises to be a dramatic night in Mumbai, we caught up with Tom to talk about what he describes as “the biggest game of my career”.
How is he feeling ahead of such a momentous occasion?
“Obviously, it’s exciting,” he said when we called him during a moment of downtime ahead of training. “It’s probably the biggest game of my career. It’s just incredible to be a part of it. Knowing that you’re just two games away from winning a World Cup is a pretty special feeling. We trained yesterday, we’ve got training this evening and we’re just trying to take each game as it comes.”
There’s been a lot of talk about England not having played the perfect game so far, but you’re into a World Cup semi-final. How does that make you feel?
“It’s been spoken about a lot, but we’re winning and that’s the most important thing. If we win this World Cup by not having played our best cricket, then what a special thing that would be! We’re just going to keep training hard and keep trusting each other. We’ve got such a close group at the moment, so it’s been really good fun as well so far.”
Are you happy with your own performances?
“I feel like I’ve chipped in at times. Obviously, there’s going to be low scores in T20 cricket and that’s just the nature of it. To get us over the line against Scotland was nice to do and then to chip in here and there in a few other games has been good. As long as the team winning, then I’m happy. I’m just trying to stay in my lane and do as well as I can.”
How do you deal with the pressure of playing in a World Cup semi-final?
“It’s going to be so loud. We’ve got to keep watching the game in the field and we’ve spoken about what we need to do. We’ve had such a successful run now as a team and we want that to continue. It’s a semi-final. People say it’s just another game, but it’s a World Cup semi-final against the host country so there’s going to be pressure. We need to embrace that and just try and put it back towards them. It doesn’t come much bigger than India in India.
“There will be a lot of pressure on both sides, and I think it’s going to be a great game. We’re down to the last few teams in the competition and whoever plays the best cricket will win the tournament. Hopefully we’ll have two good days out and come home with a trophy on Sunday night.”
What would it mean to you to bring that trophy home?
“You probably wouldn’t hear from me or see me for a few weeks! I’d probably be the happiest man on earth, to be honest. It’ll be a long few days of partying I’d guess but I’m not thinking too far ahead.
“To win a World Cup is probably the best thing you can do in cricket. Words wouldn’t really be able to describe what it would mean if we were to win it, but we’ve got a huge game tomorrow. We can’t afford to look past that at the moment. Mumbai is going to be very loud and the whole of India will be wanting to win, so we’ve got to bring our A game and hopefully a few guys can have a day out.
“I’m just trying to get ready for training tonight and then prep well for the match tomorrow night. I don’t want to think too much about it, but I’ll obviously prep for what they’re going to try to bowl to me and how we’re going to be in the field, etc.
“We’ve been away for six or seven weeks now, and we’ve all hit a lot of balls. We’re looking to get our confidence as high as possible at training and then we’ll get ready for what will be a great occasion tomorrow night.”
