Tom Banton says is hoping to follow in the footsteps of “best in the world” Jos Buttler, after so far seizing his opportunity to impress on England’s tour of the West Indies.
Banton was considered a touch fortunate to earn a place on the trip after something of a lean spell but England have long rated the 23-year-old among the country’s brightest prospects.
With Buttler, along with the rest of England’s multi-format players, rested after the Ashes, Banton has been afforded the chance to open alongside Jason Roy and struck six sixes in a brutal 73 off 39 balls during Wednesday’s defeat in the third T20.
He also kept wicket for the first time in an England shirt during that game and when asked whether emulating Buttler was the aim, said: “It has to be. He’s probably the best in the world.
“I’m quite good mates with Jos and it’s weird because I look up to him, now I get to play with him and it’s awesome. Definitely, I want to follow in his footsteps.”
Banton also revealed he held a clear-the-air phone call with Kevin Pietersen last summer, after the England legend had accused him of “wasting his talent” during his punditry work on The Hundred.
“It was hard to hear to be honest, I’m not going to lie,” Banton said. “I remember I was sat there after The Hundred game and hearing him talk on Sky while I was eating and then I called him the next day and he kind of explained a bit more about what he meant.
“There’s good and bad things being said about every player all the time, more often than not it’s bad. It’s kind of the sport we’re in so you’ve just got to get on with it.”
Rovman Powell’s stunning century on Wednesday night has given West Indies a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, which finishes with back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
England are looking to avoid what would be only their second bilateral T20 series defeat since the summer of 2018, after a 3-2 reverse in India last winter, but will be without captain Eoin Morgan because of a “relatively minor” thigh injury.
Moeen Ali is expected to skipper the side again, with the tourists’ death bowling under particular scrutiny, having been taken apart so far in the series.
