England have confirmed Tom Banton will replace the injured Jacob Bethell in their 15-player squad for the ICC Champions Trophy.
All-rounder Bethell was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a left hamstring strain during the defeat to India in the first one-day international on February 6.
Somerset’s Banton is not a like-for-like swap for Bethell – he is a right-hander who can keep wicket while the man he has come in for is a left-hander who bowls useful spin.
However, Banton has been in excellent form with the bat in the UAE ILT20, scoring 493 runs across 11 innings at an average of 54.77, with two centuries and three fifties.
That earned him a call-up ahead of the third ODI against India in Ahmedabad and he went on to make his first England appearance in the 50-over format since 2020, batting at No 3.
Banton had not played ODI cricket for England since 2020 prior to Wednesday’s match against India
England begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Australia in Lahore on February 22, before playing Afghanistan at the same venue four days later.
They then conclude the group phase against South Africa in Karachi on March 1.
The top two in each pool – India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh are in the other group – will advance to the semi-finals on March 4 and 5, ahead of the final on March 9.
The tournament is live in full on Sky Sports, with the opening game in Karachi on February 19 pitting hosts and defending champions Pakistan against New Zealand, who won the event in 2000.
England have never won the Champions Trophy, losing in the final to West Indies in 2004 and India in 2013.
England’s Champions Trophy squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood
