Tom Banton hopes his second ODI century has secured his spot at the top of the order after a measured yet devastating 121 led England to a series-leveling victory over Australia at the Adelaide Oval.
The tourists ran out winners by 135 runs on Sunday, two days after losing the first ODI in Perth. Bowled out for 131 then, they were asked to bat first again by Mitchell Marsh and posted 355 for 6 - their highest ODI total in Australia, built off the back of Banton's player-of-the-match knock.
He brought up his century from 86 deliveries, with 12 fours and four sixes, making use of Adelaide's shorter square boundaries, and emboldened by a cruising 137-run stand with Joe Root. Even with a middle-order wobble of 56 for 3, which saw Brook dismissed for just five, the platform was set for Jordan Cox (67) and Will Jacks (54 not out) to propel England beyond 350 with a stand of 102 off 70 for the fifth wicket, having come together at 212 for 4 in the 35th over.
Banton, who turned 28 on Wednesday, has enjoyed a stellar run of form since becoming the fourth man to partner regular opener Ben Duckett this year. A white-ball opener by trade, Banton has had to bide his time to get a go in his most natural spot, and has learned to adapt as a middle-order batter for the T20I side. But having been backed by skipper Harry Brook and limited-overs coach Brendon McCullum for the home ODIs against Sri Lanka at the end of the English summer, the Somerset batter has not looked back, making 540 runs at an average of 60 in nine innings.
The Sri Lanka campaign ended with Banton's maiden ODI century, 126 off 105 balls, in a series-securing win at the Kia Oval. He subsequently went on to make three half-centuries in England's ill-fated tri-series in Pakistan, continuing to build a strong partnership with Duckett.
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This window of opportunity only came about through a right knee injury sustained by Jacob Bethell, who was initially given the chance to make the opening position his own against India in July. Bethell's 91, along with a vital wicket in the third ODI at Lord's, secured England a 2-1 win and him a longer-term berth. The 23-year-old has not played a competitive match since.
Bethell had initially been due to return in Pakistan, but having arrived in Australia following ligament surgery, he suffered a further setback in his recovery, delaying a decision on whether he would slot back in for Banton. Now, it seems, the latter has reinforced his case.
"I'd like to think so," Banton told BBC Test Match Special, when asked if the spot was his to keep. "Cricket's a funny old game. It can change very quickly. So I'm just taking each game by it comes now and just trying to score as many runs as I can."
Despite having played for Brisbane Heat across three seasons of the Big Bash League, Banton said that this match marked his first visit to Adelaide, and he was pleased to have left his mark on the venue. "Growing up as a kid, I've watched so much cricket - the Ashes, one-day series, T20 series - here, and to be able to do that is a very proud moment," he said.
Though it was far from the perfect performance - England dropped three simple catches, including chances to remove Matt Renshaw and Cameron Green well before their fifties - the response to square the series 1-1 just 48 hours after a humbling seven-wicket defeat would have pleased McCullum.
The Kiwi called on his side to "scrap deeper" after Perth, with the tight turnaround reflective of the challenges they will encounter should they go far in next year's 50-over World Cup in South Africa. Not only have they responded accordingly, but they have set-up a winner-takes-all bout in Hobart to further test their mettle, something they missed out in last month's tri-series as Pakistan and Sri Lanka made it to the final with ease.
With the third ODI taking place on Wednesday, England travel to Hobart via Melbourne on Monday, and will train at Bellerive Oval on Tuesday.