On the rise Banton, sets his eyes on bigger exploits

In the early 19th century, the Yorkshire-born Australian wicketkeeper, Sammy Carter was flummoxing not just the bowler, but also the 'keeper standing behind the stumps with a head-scratching shot. He was using the pace of the bowler to hoick over his left shoulder and for the ball to fly over the bemused 'keeper and into the fence.

Carter's inventiveness and ability to use a wide range of athletic gifts just capsulise how batting has continuously evolved with time. In the modern era, where T20 cricket has taken improvisation to a new level, we see AB de Villiers sweeping a fast bowler for a six, Jos Buttler employing the scoop, or some other batsman trying laps, reverse-hit or switch-hit. In short, boundaries of batsmanship have been lifted. For a modern day batsman, the old rule of batting - "you can't play certain shots" - doesn't apply.

Tom Banton, the Somerset and England cricketer, is a part of the modern day batting evolution. In the recently-concluded T20 Blast in England, he didn't just shine brightly with 549 runs at a strike of over 160, but also made heads turn with a hair-raising stroke in the Blast game versus Surrey. He switched his grip and virtually reverse-scooped Sam Curran, the left-arm pacer, for a six. The kind of stroke that would make waves around the cricketing landscape.

Not surprisingly, Banton's batting exploits have drawn plenty of attention. He has already signed a contract with the BBL franchise Brisbane Heat. He was also picked up by Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL. He will now join the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, 2020. In a short space of time, Banton has graduated from playing in the U19 World Cup for England and bag an IPL contract.

Ahead of the auction, in exclusive chat with Cricbuzz, the promising cricketer talked about the excitement of following the IPL auction, and the likely prospect of playing in front of big crowds in India. "Obviously as a kid growing up, I watched it every year, It is my favourite tournament," he said. Then, his thoughts revolved around getting to play for Mumbai Indians or Royal Challengers Bangalore where "one of my idols AB de Villiers plays, and one of the best players in the world - Kohli." But as is the nature of auctions, there was a third franchise that made his wish come true.

Banton hasn't just attracted the interest of franchises around the globe, but was also selected to play for England against New Zealand in T20Is last month. Banton would have gained valuable experience and insights after rubbing shoulders with the likes of Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow and Co. "It was special to make my debut in New Zealand. It was a dream come true as a young kid. I was obviously quite nervous to be fielding first (his maiden T20I in Nelson). And then when I batted, felt quite natural, normal and I was fine after a few balls."

So, what is the foundation stone of Banton's skill-sets? How is he able to improvise effortlessly? To get the bigger picture, one has to scratch the surface and chart Banton's career. Banton made a name for himself in the field of sports at the King's College in Taunton, where he was guided by Phil Lewis, then the schoolmaster of the college.

Until Banton was about 17, he played both hockey and cricket. In fact, hockey also played a role in helping the promising batsman to improvise, as in that sport it is quite common for an athlete to play the reverse stick shot/sweep with a short backswing. "Obviously, the reverse sweeps come from hockey, whatever... reverse scoops. In training, I don't attempt to try and practice, it is all more natural to me in the game. if the field is right, I will try (to play such shots)," Banton.

His ability to explore all corners of the ground has also been compared to AB de Villiers and Jos Buttler. Incidentally, Buttler went to the same school as Banton and was also guided by Lewis. His bent knee as the bowler is about to release the ball and the way he tries to open up the on-side have also made some compare his batting style to former England batsman, Kevin Pietersen. "Probably two players - Buttler and AB de Villiers - obviously the way they play. I think when they were young, (they) played a lot of sports as well, pretty similar to what I did. Obviously, there have been a few comparisons, but I don't think too much about it."

Banton's batting isn't just about cracking scoops and reverse-hits in white ball cricket to leave the opposition searching for answers. He has also shown considerable promise in red-ball cricket. In the recently-concluded County Championship, he compiled a fine 79 against the Hampshire pace duo of Fidel Edwards and Kyle Abbott. Banton also was named the PCA Young Player of the season

But, despite getting a slew of fifties, he couldn't compose a hundred during the course of the season. "This year, red-ball cricket went alright. I didn't play the first four games, but played the last 10. I think I got six or seven fifties (five). I never converted and went on to get a hundred. That is a bit unfortunate, but I would take that if you had said it at the beginning of the year."

Banton is also a useful wicketkeeper but his primary focus is on improving his batting. "I definitely still want to be a bat-wicketkeeper. I don't do wicketkeeping anymore in red ball just because I want to really focus on batting. But, yeah, definitely want to be someone who bats and then keep (wickets) if required."

Tom Banton's skills are intriguing and fascinating. Just like any other youngster, he wants to be tested under pressure and is fearless. He also plays a sport that is centuries old in sync with how batting has evolved in modern times.