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The English side's preparations for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in India in the coming month brought them on midweek to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were compelled to hold the last practice run ahead of their third game against the Kiwis indoors. It is not always obvious what role these two-team contests fulfill, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this occasion, for at least one of the players, that is not an issue.

The Batter's New Role: From Opener to Middle Order

Tom Banton says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the type of statement often repeated even by athletes who have already reached the pinnacle of their game, in his case it is certainly accurate. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, primarily as an starting player, Banton now occupies a totally new role, coming in at five or six. “I didn't have too many conversations,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘Your role will be in the middle order now.’”

Prior to returning in the summer, the vast majority of Banton’s 162 professional T20 appearances had been as an starting batsman, another 8% at third position and the rest – but for a brief stint at No 7 in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at fourth place. If the team intend to keep him in this altered role he needs every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has already worked out a key point: “Playing down the order,” he concluded, “is a lot harder than starting the innings.”

Mixed Results in the Tour

The player noted that “there’s going to be times where it comes off and it appears brilliant and other times where it fails”, and the initial matches of the tour in New Zealand have featured one of each. In the opener, he faced nine balls and made a low score before getting out to long-on; in the second, he played 12 deliveries, hit runs, and finished unbeaten.

Reflections on Return and Growth

The current series has witnessed Banton return to the country in which he first played for his country in late 2019. After that, he drifted back out of the side, had a short comeback in recently and then passed a long period in the wilderness 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 occurred in that period. I've discovered a lot about myself. The period after I got dropped from the national team was a difficult phase for me. I had a two- to three-year period where I was working myself out.”

Support from Team Management

Currently, he has been given something new to work out. Banton is thankful to have been offered a return, and also for the coach's skill to put him at ease while he figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “Baz approached me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Go out and play your natural game.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I know it’s only a small thing someone says, but it gives me the backing that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not the end of the world. It is so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the approval from the manager and I can step up and perform.’”

Shift in Location and Team Selection

After playing the initial matches of the series at the South Island ground, a venue with expansive playing area, the visitors finish the series on Thursday at the Auckland arena, a multi-use sports facility where the field edge at 55m is among the shortest in the sport. With uncertain weather and an new location they have abandoned their recent habit of announcing their team ahead of time while they work out if their ideal XI for this match will be the same as the one that began the earlier fixtures.

Upcoming Changes for One-Day Matches

On Friday, they travel to Mount Maunganui and turn focus to one-day internationals, with a slightly amended squad: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith join the squad. Most newcomers arrived in the city on Wednesday but the timing of the bowler's Test match buildup means he will follow later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, two seamers who are also preparing for the longer format in Australia but are excluded from the white-ball squad. As a result Archer will miss the opening game at the venue, the ground where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in a few years back.