Banton leads T20I MVP ahead of Australia series

Tom Banton leads the PCA’s T20I Most Valuable Player Rankings following the conclusion of England’s 20-over series against Pakistan on Tuesday evening.

The opening batsman, still only 21, has been in stellar form in making scores of 71, 20 and 46 at the top of the order in Manchester as England drew the three-match series 1-1.

Those scores have translated to 37.5 MVP points at an average of 12.5 points-per-game in the shortest format so far this summer for Banton – 11.5 clear of limited overs skipper Eoin Morgan in second.

As a result, Banton is now in the driving seat to be named the T20I MVP for summer 2020. It continues a rapid rise for the Somerset man, who was named the PCA Young Player of the Year at the 50th NatWest PCA Awards ceremony just under a year ago.

He, Morgan and Moeen Ali – three of England’s biggest hitters – have been the standout players in a series where one fixture was lost to the weather.

The experienced duo of Morgan and Moeen, who have over 400 T20 appearances between them, are predictably in the running for the T20I MVP. Morgan is currently second with 26 MVP points and Moeen third with 23.

The Worcestershire man enjoyed a knock to remember on Tuesday evening, smashing 61 from 33 balls as he took England so close to victory. The all-rounder also brilliantly removed the dangerous Fakhar Zaman in the second over of Pakistan’s innings, contributing with bat and ball to move up and into the T20I MVP top five.

Left-handed batsman Dawid Malan and fast bowler Chris Jordan, who claimed 2-29 on Tuesday night, complete the current top five with 17 and 14 MVP points respectively.

The MVP algorithm was designed by the PCA in conjunction with the players to identify the match-winning performers in any given fixture. On top of traditional batting and bowling averages, bonus points are given for key disciplines such as scoring quick runs, claiming top-order wickets and taking catches in the field.

At the conclusion of the 2020 summer, four MVPs will be named for the England men’s side: one for each of the three main formats as well as a cross-format Overall MVP.

It will be a quick turnaround for England after tonight’s result as they soon turn their attention to the challenge posed by Aaron Finch’s Australia.

The first fixture of a three-match T20I series against the Aussies begins on Friday, and with just two days separating each game we will know the identity of the summer 2020 T20I MVP by Tuesday evening.

England will have to be at their best to win the series, as the arrival of the world’s number one-ranked T20I team will pose a significant challenge, especially given that head coach Justin Langer is set to have a full-strength side at his disposal.

However, Eoin Morgan and England will be boosted by the return of a number of established stars to England’s squad, including 2019 World Cup heroes Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler and Mark Wood, all of whom have considerable T20 experience at their disposal and are yet to make their mark on the 2020 T20I MVP.

With three 20-over appearances each in the bank already this summer, however, the current top three of Banton, Morgan and Moeen are in pole position to hold off the challenge posed by the returning players and remain amongst the hot favourites to claim the T20I MVP next week.

View the T20I MVP Rankings here.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest MVP news by following the @pcaMVP on Twitter.