Former England captain Nasser Hussain praised the remarkable resurgence of Tom Banton, noting that the arrival of new white‑ball coach Kevin Pietersen could prove pivotal for the young batter's evolution in the middle order. Banton delivered a striking performance against Sri Lanka, remaining unbeaten on 52 runs from just 24 balls, a knock that helped England comfortably chase down the hosts' modest total of 145 for 9 with 7.5 overs to spare.
His innings was complemented by a rapid 23 off 8 balls from captain Harry Brook, following an explosive 30 off 16 balls by Jos Buttler, who also celebrated the milestone of becoming the first player to amass 15,000 runs in T20 internationals. This half‑century marked Banton's third fifty since he was repositioned from an opening role to the middle order, a shift that Hussain highlighted during a Sky Sports interview. "Banton has been really good in his second coming after moving from opener to the middle order," Hussain said, emphasizing the importance of the role change.
He added that while much of the conversation has centered on how Pietersen might benefit Harry Brook, the former England star could also be instrumental in Banton's continued growth. "KP raved about Banton when he came through at Somerset, but then he fell away and KP made a couple of comments saying he had to work hard. He has worked hard and we are now seeing the rewards of that.
KP will now be saying, 'keep improving'. That's what great players do," Hussain explained. Former Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara, now a commentator for Sky Sports Cricket, echoed the praise for Banton, noting his ability to handle a variety of deliveries. "He was just exceptional.
Anything that was pitched full, he cleared his front leg. Anything that was on the stumps, straight down the ground. Even with pace, he's got that power and that timing to really make a difference. I think he was exceptional.
His development, especially against spin, has been brilliant for England," Sangakkara remarked, underscoring Banton's versatility against both pace and spin. Hussain also singled out spinner Liam Dawson for his decisive spell, which turned the tide of the match. Dawson claimed three wickets for 32 runs, including a crucial double‑wicket over that broke a promising partnership for Sri Lanka.
"England just outplayed Sri Lanka in every department," Hussain said. "At 55‑0 after five overs, you thought Sri Lanka were going to put on a showing here and maybe test England. But it was Liam Dawson with two in an over that changed the course of the match – and on a ground where sometimes bowling spin isn't easy and sides often leave out their spinner. He's a very smart cricketer, a very tough cricketer and he's been around a long time.
He knows what sort of lengths and lines to bowl on this particular ground. So that was brilliant from Dawson." The defeat marked Sri Lanka's 14th consecutive loss to England in T20 internationals, a streak that Hussain said reflected a broader decline compared with the team's historic standards. "Sri Lanka are just way off the side that I've seen over the years – just way off," he observed. "It's a massive drop‑off in the batting in particular.
I've watched some of their greats and they're just strokers of the ball. They stroke the ball for six, for four – but what I see at the moment is people trying to over‑hit. On good pitches, last game, this game, the moment there was a bit of pace, they're losing their shape." Hussain highlighted the statistical gulf between the sides, pointing out that England delivered 50 dot balls while Sri Lanka managed only two sixes compared with England's ten.
"In every metric today, England completely outplayed them. A coach or a director of cricket will look at that and say it wasn't good enough – and when you're playing against England, those metrics have to be closer together. They are miles apart," he concluded. Looking ahead, England will face Sri Lanka again in the third T20 of the series, broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 2:30 pm on Saturday.
The match will be streamed without a contract on NOW, with all times listed for the UK and Ireland. This ongoing series offers further opportunities for emerging talents like Banton to cement their places, while the coaching influence of Kevin Pietersen may shape the next phase of England's white‑ball strategy.