Gulf Giants have acquired the services of swashbuckling England cricket team batter Tom Banton for the inaugural edition of International League T20 (ILT20).

The dynamic wicket-keeper batter has had an impressive T20 career, amassing 2,166 runs in 98 matches at a strike rate of 142.50 and an average of 23.04. He has already smashed two hundreds and 12 fifties in cricket’s shortest format.

Known for his eye-catching shots, the 24-year-old Buckinghamshire-born cricketer has clobbered 219 fours and 100 sixes in his short T20 career.

Having had a breakthrough season for Somerset at the top of the order in 2017, Banton was included in England’s squad for the 2018 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He finished the tournament with 233 runs in six matches, including one century and one fifty.

Following his magnificent showing in all three formats for Somerset, Banton later made his T20I debut for England against New Zealand at Saxton Oval in November 2019.

Since then, the explosive top-order batter has featured in 14 T20Is for England, scoring 327 runs at a strike rate of 147.96. He has two half-centuries to his name.

Banton has also played six One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for his senior national side, accumulating 134 runs in five innings, including registering one fifty so far.

Apart from representing England at international level, Banton has played for several T20 franchises around the world.

He has donned the jersey of Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL), played for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL), featured for Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and also represented Colombo Stars in the Lanka Premier League (LPL).

With loads of T20 experience, Banton is expected to play a crucial role for Adani Sportsline-owned Gulf Giants in ILT20 2023, which is scheduled to be held from January 13 to February 12.