With the conclusion of the SA20 and ILT20 last week, only the IPL remains of the major franchise competitions before the start of the English domestic season. After a whirlwind few months of T20 and T10 action, here are the English players who stood out the most over the winter.
Joe Root
Root's stellar season in the SA20, the first overseas franchise matches he's played since his three-game stint in the IPL in 2023, have put him back in the conversation for an England T20I recall. He scored 279 runs at an average of 55.80 across eight matches in the competition, with an eye-catching strike-rate of 140.20. His high-score of 92 came in a steep chase for Paarl Royals, with Root's unbeaten innings as an opener carrying them over the line with two balls to spare. He also played a handy role with the ball, taking five wickets and conceding only seven runs and over. After Root left to join up with England's ODI squad in India, Paarl Royals lost four out of their remaining five matches and crashed out of the competition in the second Qualifier.
Tom Banton
Banton's imperious form in the ILT20 in particular has earned him an England recall for the first time since 2022. After successful a stint in the Abu Dhabi T10 and time in Australia over the winter, Banton struck a 54-ball century in his fourth match of the tournament, having hit a 52-ball 74 previously against Dubai Capitals. He scored a second century a week later, his 105 coming off 55 balls with seven sixes. MI Emirates were eventually knocked out in the Eliminator, but not before Banton had added an unbeaten 84 to his run of scores in their final group game. He was only knocked off the top of the competition's run-scoring charts by Shai Hope's 43 in the final.
Jacob Bethell, part of the first ODI defeat in Nagpur, has picked up a left hamstring injury.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 9, 2025
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/xLK7Te9p5X pic.twitter.com/Ns7MRQXJge
Liam Dawson
Another name who's not far from the England conversation after his franchise returns is Liam Dawson. Having played for Hampshire's side in the Global Super League before Christmas, he was a huge asset to Sunrisers Eastern Cape's final-reaching campaign in the SA20. He finished the competition in joint second on the wicket-taking charts, only Mujeeb Ur Rahman equal to him among spinners, having conceded runs at less than seven an over. He also effected arguably the catch of the tournament with a brilliant one-handed, diving effort at mid on.
🗣️ "It's increasingly hard to understand that he's played no role whatsoever. He gets better and better across all the formats."
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 7, 2025
At the very least, should England be picking Liam Dawson in their white-ball squads, if not the XI? 🏴#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/5wGkwzYdFh
Tom Kohler-Cadmore
As yet uncapped for England, Tom Kohler-Cadmore made his case across the ILT20, Lanka T10 and Abu Dhabi T10 across the winter. He finished the ILT20 as his final league of the winter, with an average of 55.42 in the competition. But his most successful assignment was in the Abu Dhabi T10, where he topped the run-scoring charts across nine innings and finished with a strike rate only a touch below 200.
Richard Gleeson
The 37-year-old Gleeson was one of the picks of the pacers in the SA20, with only Marco Jansen finishing the competition with more wickets. He also had a successful stint in the Lanka T10 and was the leading wicket-taker in the Abu Dhabi T10, where he averaged just 11.21. His best performance of 3-10 came in his second match in Abu Dhabi, where he dismissed Dasun Shanaka and Liam Livingstone within three balls, before dismissing Iftikhar Ahmed in his first over after the powerplay.
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