Tom Banton called up as cover after Dawid Malan left England squad for personal reasons earlier this week; Banton hit a 47-ball hundred in the Vitality Blast for Somerset on Monday; batsman has been capped six times by England at ODI level
Thursday 1 July 2021 14:04, UK
Somerset batsman Tom Banton has been added to the England squad for the third Royal London ODI against Sri Lanka at Bristol on Sunday.
The 22-year-old is in fine form - having hit a 47-ball hundred against Kent in the Vitality Blast earlier this week.
England have called Banton up as cover, after Dawid Malan was forced to leave the group for personal reasons.
That left England one batsman light in the series opener at Durham on Tuesday, with Jason Roy also missing the match with a tight hamstring, but they were still able to secure a five-wicket win.
Getting replacement players into camp takes more time than usual given the current bio-security restrictions in place, meaning Banton will not join up for the second game at the Kia Oval on Thursday and will head straight to Bristol instead.
Should an unassailable 2-0 series lead already be on the board, he could be given a chance to add to the six ODI caps he won in 2020, with a top score of 58 on debut against Ireland.
He has also played nine T20 internationals, scoring 71 against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford last year.
