Lion-hearted Tom Banton limps his way out to bat in County Championship clash

Lion-hearted Tom Banton limps his way out to bat in the County Championship clash. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)

Injured Tom Banton showed a tremendous display of guts as he limped out to bat on Day 3 of the ongoing County Championship Division One match between Somerset and Surrey at The Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton.

After scoring a fantastic century in the first innings, the onus was on Banton to help Somerset take a solid second-innings lead on Day 3. However, during the warm-up ahead of the day’s play, the England batter rolled his ankle. Surrey finished with a slender four-run lead in the first innings before Lunch on Day 3.

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Somerset batters failed to do justice to their potential, as Shakib Al Hasan and the other Surrey bowlers made their lives difficult with a disciplined effort with the ball. Lewis Gregory’s side lost nine wickets for just 153 runs, having taken a lead of just 149 runs. In a bid to extend the lead, Banton limped his way out to the crease at No. 11 to join Craig Overton.

The duo played some glorious shots and stitched a crucial 41-run partnership off just 46 balls as Somerset finished the day at 194/9. Banton, who was greeted at the crease by warm applause from the fans, remained unbeaten on a run-a-ball 28, hitting four boundaries. The 25-year-old is scheduled to go for an MRI on Thursday, September 12, but he is expected to come out once again to bat along with Overton to extend Somerset’s lead.

Shakib Al Hasan bags four-for on Surrey debut

On his Surrey debut, Shakib has shown why he is regarded as one of the finest all-rounders to have played the sport. He finished with figures of 4/97 from 33.5 overs in the first innings. He didn’t have a great outing with the bat as he was dismissed for 12. However, he bounced back strongly on Day 3 and bagged another four-for.

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Shakib accounted for the wickets of Archie Vaughan, Tom Abell, James Rew, and Gregory. He would love to get another wicket to complete his five-for on Day 4.