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The English side's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in India in February brought them on midweek to a chilly, rainy New Zealand's largest city, where they were forced to hold the last practice run before their third game against New Zealand indoors. It is not always obvious what role these bilateral series serve, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this instance, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

Tom Banton's Changed Position: Starting Batsman to Middle Order

The cricketer says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the type of statement regularly trotted out even by athletes who have already reached the peak of their sport, in his case it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, primarily as an opener, Banton now occupies a totally new position, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many conversations,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the squad and informed me, ‘You’re going to bat in the middle order now.’”

Prior to returning in the summer, 87% of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an opener, another 8% at third position and the remaining handful – but for a brief stint at No 7 in a domestic T20 game previously – at No 4. If England intend to retain him in this new position he requires every possible opportunity to become accustomed to it, and he has already worked out one thing: “Playing down the order,” he concluded, “is a lot harder than opening.”

Varied Performances in the Tour

The player noted that “sometimes where it works well and it looks great and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the first two games of the winter in the host nation have featured one of each. In the opener, he faced a few deliveries and scored nine runs before holing out to long-on; in the second, he played 12 deliveries, scored 29, and finished not out.

Reflections on Return and Growth

The current series has seen Banton come back to the nation in which he first played for his country in late 2019. Since then, he moved away of the side, had a short comeback in recently and then passed a long period in the wilderness before coming back for the new captain's first T20 as England captain. “During the journey, it was weird,” he said. “Time has passed when I started internationally. Seems a lot has occurred in that period. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The period after I was left out from the national team was a tough time for me. I had a two- to three-year period where I was finding my way.”

Support from Team Management

Currently, he has been assigned a fresh challenge to tackle. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for the coach's ability to put him at ease while he figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “Baz approached me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Go out and express yourself.’ It's reassuring to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I know it’s just a brief comment from the staff, but it provides the support that if it doesn't work, it’s not the end of the world. It’s something so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the approval from the head coach and I can step up and do it.’”

Shift in Location and Team Selection

Following the first two games of the series at the South Island ground, a venue with expansive playing area, England complete it on Thursday at the Auckland arena, a multi-use sports facility where the field edge at a short distance is among the most compact in the sport. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have dropped their recent habit of revealing their lineup ahead of time while they determine if their preferred team for this match will be the identical as the one that started both previous games.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

Next, they move to Mount Maunganui and turn focus to ODIs, with a slightly amended team: three players drop out, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith come in. Most newcomers landed in the city on the same day but the timing of Archer’s Ashes preparations means he will arrive two days later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, two seamers who are also building towards the longer format in the away series but are excluded from the white-ball squad. Consequently Archer will be absent for the first match at the venue, the ground where he was subjected to abuse on his sole prior visit, in a few years back.