Tom Banton Hits First ODI Hundred in England-Sri Lanka Decider at The Oval
Tom Banton has scored his first one-day international century for England. He did it in the third and deciding game of the series against Sri Lanka at The Oval, BBC Sport reported on Sunday 27 September 2026.
It was worth the wait. The match was staged at the Kia Oval in London on Sunday 27 September 2026, with a listed start of 10:30 local time, according to England's fixture listing. Banton was listed to open the batting alongside Ben Duckett.
An ODI is a 50-overs-per-side contest. Each team faces 300 balls, barring rain. An opener faces the new ball and sets the tone.
Banton did exactly that. Sky Sports noted during the morning session, at 11:55 UK time on Sunday, that he had claimed back-to-back ODI fifties. A fifty means 50 runs in one innings. He kept going. The later report confirmed the bigger landmark: a maiden ODI hundred, which means 100 runs or more in a single innings.
The run-up explains the form. Banton made 10 against Sri Lanka in Chester-le-Street on 21 September 2026 in ODI No. 5016. He then made 73 in Leeds on 23 September 2026 in ODI No. 5018. Those figures come from his career log. Back-to-back fifties pointed to growing fluency. The Oval innings finished the job.
For anyone new to cricket, a century is the standard measure of a batter's day. It takes concentration, shot selection and pace. In a 50-over game, it also takes arithmetic. The batter must score quickly without giving away his wicket, while the required rate and field settings shift around him.
Banton is an English wicketkeeper-batter who burst onto the scene for Somerset in 2017. That dual role matters. A keeper-batter must crouch and concentrate for 50 overs in the field, then open the mind and the shoulders to bat.
What makes this stand out is the timing. A decider brings simple pressure. Win the day and take the series. For a player still building a 50-over record, a first hundred in that setting carries weight for selectors and supporters alike.
The context was live throughout the day. The Guardian carried live score updates for the third men's one-day international on Sun 27 Sep 2026. England and Sri Lanka came to south London with the three-match series on the line. Banton gave England the start they wanted.
