One-Day Cup final: Somerset’s young gun Tom Banton won’t be fazed by Lord’s occasion, says Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Trescothick has seen enough batsmen in his 26 years of first-class cricket to know a good one when he sees him.
Tom Banton may be just 20 and only have a similar number of matches behind him, but he’s already done enough to excite Somerset’s senior player.
The Somerset academy graduate has taken the One-Day Cup by storm this season, scoring two hundreds and two half-centuries to help his county reach the final against Hampshire at Lord’s on Saturday.
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But, as Trescothick says, it’s not so much the runs as the way he’s scored them that’s caught the eye.
“Tom has a massive amount of talent and he’s really shone during the competition,” the 43-year-old tells City A.M. “He’s a vital player and everyone has been talking about him because of how explosive he can be.
“He’s almost that new-age type of player: someone who has come through the ranks while growing up watching T20 cricket, so they’re all practising these shots from an early age.”
Marcus Trescothick made his Somerset debut in 1993 (Source: Getty)
Trescothick scored 4,335 runs across 123 ODIs for England and his 12 centuries is a joint record held with Joe Root. The left-hander was considered an aggressive stroke-maker at the top of the order, and yet his ODI strike-rate of 85.2 pales in comparison to young guns like Banton.
“Sometimes you deliver the ball in the nets and stand there in amazement at the shots they play, but also at how hard they hit the ball,” he says. “They work so much on it because they have to have that power-hitting game.
“Some of the shots that Banton would play, I’m thinking: ‘You have no right to be able to do that.’ It’s outrageous what they can do.”
And although the Lord’s final will be the biggest game of Banton’s career, Trescothick believes he won’t be cowed into playing a different way.
“Definitely not. He’s made for the big occasion,” he says. “He loves the moment, the big noise, the opportunity to entertain. He’s that kind of character, who wants to enjoy himself and almost show off the skills that he has.”
Trescothick has been well placed to view the changing nature of the 50-over game and, with the current England team pushing its limits even further, he believes the first 500-run total is around the corner.
Trescothick believes Banton will be pushing for an England place in coming years (Source: Getty)
“People have accepted that you can go and get 350 or 400 nowadays and sometimes beyond,” he adds. “It’s a change of mindset in comparison to where we were 10 to 20 years ago.
“There are a few contributing factors: better pitches, two new balls, fielding restrictions and a realisation that you can be a lot more aggressive and still do well.”
Banton and his team-mates will be hoping that exact approach can bring them a trophy at Lord’s on Saturday.
The Royal London One-Day Cup is the first piece of silverware to be won at Lord’s during this historic year of cricket. Be part of the action as defending champions Hampshire take on Somerset for the final time at Lord’s. For more information and to book tickets, visit lords.org/tickets or purchase tickets on the day from the North Gate.