Home / Sports / Banton Opens for England Amidst Squad Changes
Banton Opens for England Amidst Squad Changes
22 Sep
Summary
- Tom Banton partners Ben Duckett as England's sixth opening pair.
- Adil Rashid is out with a hand niggle; Rehan Ahmed replaces him.
- Joe Root returns in strong form with multiple recent fifty-plus scores.
Tom Banton is set to open the batting for England in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street, partnering Ben Duckett. Banton's inclusion as Duckett's opening partner marks the sixth such pairing since Brendon McCullum's tenure. Banton, typically a middle-order T20I player, brings recent good form to the ODI opener role.
England will also be without key spinner Adil Rashid due to a hand injury. Rehan Ahmed will fill his place and spearhead the spin attack, with Josh Tongue returning to bolster the pace options alongside Jofra Archer and others. Harry Brook's team enters the series on a high after a 3-0 T20I whitewash of Sri Lanka.
The return of Joe Root significantly bolsters the squad. Root has achieved six consecutive fifty-plus scores in his last six ODI innings and has not been dismissed in his last four. He was Player of the Series against India, scoring 249 runs, and also earned the same accolade in Sri Lanka earlier in the year.
