Banton responds to Michael Vaughan’s suggestion

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League is still some time away but its euphoria has been in full swing with plenty of activities happening at the eve of the marquee cash-rich league.

Recently, the dates of the competition were announced. The 13rh edition will kick off on March 29th with the defending champions Mumbai Indians kickstarting their campaign on their home turf and will culminate on May 29 at the same venue

One of the things that one looks forward to the most in an Indian Premier League season is the new precocious talents. And, England’s latest T20 sensation Tom Banton is certainly one of the new recruits who will be the one to watch out for this IPL season. Banton, a swashbuckling hitter of a cricket ball, stormed into reckoning after his whirlwind stint in the Vitality T20 Blast for his county Somerset. Banton was then picked by the Brisbane Heat where he slammed three half-centuries including a 16-ball fifty.

Banton was picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders at his base price of INR 1 crore but former English captain Michael Vaughan raised a whole host of eyebrows when he suggested that Banton should skip the IPL this season and instead focus on playing the County Championship.

“If I were in charge I would be on the phone this week to Tom Banton telling him to give up his IPL deal and play the first few weeks of the county season for Somerset because there is a slot available at No 6 in the Test side,” Vaughan wrote in a column for Telegraph Sport.

But, Banton is having none of it. The swashbuckling batsman from Somerset reckoned that growing up, his dream was to feature in the IPL and he is 100% committed to featuring for the Knight Riders this season. Banton said that he wants to play Test cricket for England but is clear that there is still time for it.

“Yes, 100 per cent. When I was growing up, IPL was definitely something I thought I’d love to do, and play for England and definitely in Test cricket as well. But we’ll just have to wait and see,” Tom Banton was quoted as saying by Metro News.

Agencies

 

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