Table of Contents
England keeper-batter Tom Banton has been ruled out of the remaining part of the Men's The Hundred 2026 season due to a quad injury. Trent Rockets, in an official statement on August 8, announced Banton's exit from the tournament.
The franchise has replaced Tom Banton with the fast bowler Matt Milnes. Trent Rockets and Kent Cricket Club both confirmed the signing of Matt Milnes for the ongoing The Hundred tournament as a replacement for Tom Banton. The Kent Cricket Club welcomes the signing, as it highlights the talent acquisition by the club in England's domestic cricket.
View this post on Instagram
Tom Banton ruled out of The Hundred; Matt Milnes named as replacement
The Hundred franchise informed that Tom Banton suffered a tournament-ending quad injury, which forced him to be ruled out of the competition. The franchise took the opportunity to strengthen their bowling line-up and secured the services of Matt Milnes.
As the Rockets are likely to make their progress into the further stages of the tournament, Milnes is set to miss the One Day Cup matches for Kent. The domestic cricket club mentioned that the pacer will not be able to take part in their upcoming matches against Leicestershire Foxes this Sunday at The County Ground and away at Warwickshire on Tuesday at Rugby School.
He is expected to remain absent for the club at least until Monday 17 August. Therefore, he will miss the remainder of the 2026 County Championship for Kent.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for Milnesy on a personal level, and we will always celebrate our players that earn this type of recognition," said Kent’s Director of Cricket, Simon Cook.
“Whilst we’re disappointed that we won’t have him available in the near future for the One Day Cup, we’re looking forward to welcoming him back to the squad for the run-in of the County Championship," he added.
Matt Milnes was in good rhythm for Kent
Matt Milnes was in good form for Kent, taking 8 wickets in their last five matches. Against Surrey and Somerset, the 32-year-old claimed 3 wickets each and a brace against Northamptonshire. Undoubtedly, Milnes will bolster the bowling attack of the Trent Rockets, but the franchise will miss the batting and experience of Tom Banton.
In the ongoing The Hundred, Banton has scored 130 runs in four matches and as many innings, averaging 43.33, including a high of 67. The 27-year-old got a 67-run knock against the Birmingham Phoenix, followed by 22, 31 not out, and 10 against London Spirit, Welsh Fire, and the Manchester Super Giants.
Trent Rockets have the best net run rate in the entire The Hundred 2026 tournament so far
Currently, Trent Rockets are not sitting comfortably at the top position of the league’s points table with five wins in 6 matches. In their last five games, they claimed 4 wins and suffered only one loss.
Southern Brave are in second place with 20 points, the same as the Rockets, but because of the net run rate, the Rockets are at the Number 1 spot. They have a net run rate of +1.605.
