Tom Banton commits himself to Somerset
England International, Tom Banton has signed a new contract which will see the batter/wicketkeeper play white ball cricket for Somerset CCC until at least the end of the 2028 season.
The former King’s College student made his debut in July 2017 in Somerset’s T20 fixture against Middlesex at Uxbridge. He signed his first professional contract after graduating from the Somerset Academy later that year.
His List A and First Class debuts came the following summer.
In total, Tom has played 160 matches for the County across all formats, scoring over 5850 runs.
After establishing himself as one of the domestic games most destructive batters, the former England Under 19 Captain was handed his full International T20 debut against New Zealand at Nelson in November 2019. To date, he has represented his country in 35 IT20s, scoring 696 runs at a strike rate of 150.32.
His ODI debut came in February 2020 at Cape Town, and he has played a further six matches in the format for his country.
The 27-year-old has also gained a global reputation after successful appearances in competitions such as the IPL, BBL, ILT10 and PSL.
After signing his new deal, Tom said: “I’m delighted to have extended my stay with Somerset although this has been a really difficult decision because red ball cricket has played a huge part in helping me develop my game, and some of my best memories have come in the County Championship. The win over Surrey at home a few years ago was so enjoyable, and achieving the Club’s highest First-Class score is something I’m really proud of.
“I know how much the County Championship means to our Members and supporters and I’m not closing the door permanently on four-day cricket. My decision has come after a lot of open and amicable discussions with Andy Hurry and Jason Kerr over a considerable period of time. Given the demands and challenges of playing in and moving between all formats, I believe that focusing on white-ball cricket is the right approach for me at this stage of my career.
“I love playing for Somerset and I am very grateful for all the support I’ve received from the Club and the fans so far in my career and I’m looking forward to hopefully putting in some good performances for the Club in the years ahead.”
Somerset Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry added: “As we have seen, Tom has an incredible ability to impact games and as such is in high demand across white ball cricket.
“He has played a crucial and pivotal role in our successful Vitality Blast campaigns and the impetus that he gives our batting at the top of the order has been a key element of those successes.
“We respect Tom’s decision to concentrate on maximising his white ball development and we very much look forward to him continuing to be an integral part of our limited overs success moving forward.”
