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The English side's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in India in February led them on Wednesday to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were compelled to hold the final practice run before their next match against the Kiwis inside. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose 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.

The Batter's New Role: From Opener to Lower Down

Tom Banton says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the type of statement often repeated even by players who have long since scaled the pinnacle of their sport, in his case it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a top-order batter, mostly as an opener, Banton now occupies a totally new role, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Prior to returning in the summer, 87% of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an starting batsman, a further portion at No3 and the remaining handful – but for seven balls at No 7 in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at No 4. If the team plan to retain him in this new position he requires every chance to get used to it, and he has already worked out a key point: “Playing down the order,” he surmised, “is a much tougher than starting the innings.”

Varied Performances in New Zealand

The player noted that “sometimes where it works well and it looks great and on other occasions where it fails”, and the initial matches of the tour in New Zealand have featured one of each. In the opener, he faced a few deliveries and made nine runs before getting out to the deep fielder; in the second, he faced 12 deliveries, hit runs, and finished unbeaten.

Thoughts on Comeback and Growth

This tour has seen Banton return to the nation in which he made his international debut in November 2019. Since then, he moved away of the team, made a brief return in 2022 and then spent more than three years in the sidelines before returning for Harry Brook’s first T20 as England captain. “On the flight over, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I made my debut. It feels like a lot has happened in that period. I've discovered a lot about myself. The period after I was left out from the national team was a tough time for me. I had a couple of years stretch where I was working myself out.”

Support from Coaching Staff

Currently, he has been assigned something new to work out. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for Brendon McCullum’s ability to make him comfortable while he works out how best to seize the opportunity. “The coach approached me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Head out and play your natural game.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I realize it’s only a small thing someone says, but it provides the backing that if it doesn't work, it’s not a disaster. It is so minor but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the approval from the manager and I can step up and do it.’”

Venue Change and Squad Decisions

After playing the first two games of the contest at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a venue with unusually long boundaries, England finish the series on the next day at the Auckland arena, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the straight boundary at 55m is among the shortest in the sport. With changeable conditions and an new location they have dropped their recent habit of revealing their team two days in advance while they work out if their preferred team for this match will be the same as the one that started both previous games.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

Next, they move to the coastal town and turn focus to ODIs, with a somewhat changed team: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt drop out, while four others come in. Three of those players landed in the city on the same day but the timing of Archer’s Ashes preparations implies he will arrive two days later, flying with two fellow bowlers, fast bowlers who are also building towards the longer format in Australia but are not in the limited-overs team. As a result Archer will be absent for the opening game at the venue, the ground where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in 2019.