Tom Banton Auditions For England's World Cup 2027 Opening Spot With Statement Century

Tom Banton after century during ENG vs SL 3rd ODI (Source: AFP Photos)Tom Banton, who has been in and out of England’s ODIs for a while now due to inconsistency with the bat, finally showed his true potential on Sunday (September 27). And he chose the platform when it mattered the most, as England were up against Sri Lanka for the series decider at The Oval, London.Banton made his ODI debut back in 2020 against South Africa in Cape Town. Since then, he has played only 10 ODIs for the country, opening four times, once at No. 3, twice at No. 4, once at No. 5, and twice at No. 6.Of those four times, Banton, who began his career wonderfully, opened once on Sunday. He went all guns blazing on his way to his first-ever international century. In the process, he sent a strong message to the ECB, which would like to see how things are going in ODIs while making England’s World Cup 2027 squad.Tom Banton Joins Ben Duckett In Exclusive List Of England OpenersEver since World Cup 2023 was over, England did not have a single player except Ben Duckett, who scored a century in an ODI match after coming to open the innings.While Duckett scored three ODI centuries as an opener in this period, Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell, and Will Jacks, among others, failed to reach the three-digit mark.Finally, Banton, when the stakes were high, did what others could not do, boosting his chances of getting a place in England’s World Cup 2027 squad.Also Read: Tom Banton flips the script for England to seal series against Sri Lanka in DLS thrillerEventually, with the help of 16 fours and five sixes, Duckett fell after scoring 126 runs off 105 balls.Highest Score By England Openers Since World Cup 2023Ben Duckett - 165 Runs vs Australia, Lahore, 2025Ben Duckett - 141 vs India, Lord’s, 2026Tom Banton - 126 vs Sri Lanka, The Oval, 2026Ben Duckett - 107 vs Australia, Bristol, 2024Who Opened For England In World Cup 2023?In the last ODI World Cup, England had Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan open the innings.Across nine outings, Bairstow could only manage 215 runs at an average of just 23.88. Malan, on the other hand, did a better job, making 404 runs at an average of 44.89.Malan’s best knock came against Bangladesh. There, he made 140 runs off 107 deliveries. Besides, he also made a 74-ball 87 against the Netherlands.How Did England Perform In World Cup 2023?England, the 2019 World Cup champions, had a terrible campaign while defending the title in India in 2023. They had three wins and six defeats in the campaign, including the losses to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.As a result, they could not even reach the semi-final. In fact, they finished seventh place after the league stage, behind Pakistan and Afghanistan, who could qualify for the knockouts as well.Also Read: How Many Times Have India Chased Down 295+ Total/ West Indies Defended 295 In ODIs?