England's Tom Banton signs new two-year deal with Brisbane Heat
Batsman scored three fifties in seven innings for Heat in 2019-2020 Big Bash season
Wednesday 5 February 2020 11:38, UK
England batsman Tom Banton has signed a two-year contract extension with Big Bash side Brisbane Heat after a successful first season.
Banton - who made his T20I debut in New Zealand in November and ODI bow against South Africa in Cape Town on Tuesday - is now tied to Heat until the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
The 21-year-old scored 223 runs in seven matches for Heat at a strike-rate of 176.98, with his three fifties including the second-fastest in BBL history when he reached the milestone from 16 balls against Sydney Thunder.
England do not have any white-ball commitments between the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year and March 2021 so Heat hope Banton will be clear to play in the whole of next term's Big Bash.
"I think anyone who saw Tom during his seven games for the Heat in the BBL would agree that he is a special player and someone we think can play an important role for us,'' said Heat coach Darren Lehmann.
"We wanted to move quickly and are very pleased that Tom has agreed to terms. He's a good young lad and we think his cricket will only get better from here.
"He's got his first IPL coming up and he's in the English set-up, so we know how highly he is thought of around the world.''
See if Banton plays in England's second ODI against South Africa, in Durban, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.30am on Friday.
