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England's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in India in February brought them on midweek to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were forced to conduct the last training session ahead of their next match against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what role these bilateral series fulfill, what valuable insights could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least one of the players, 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 kind of line regularly trotted out even by players who have already reached the pinnacle of their game, in his case it is certainly accurate. After building his name as a frontline hitter, primarily as an starting player, Banton suddenly finds himself a totally new role, coming in at the middle order. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the squad and informed me, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Prior to returning in the summer, 87% of Banton’s 162 senior T20 innings had been as an starting batsman, a further portion at No3 and the rest – but for a brief stint at No 7 in a domestic T20 game previously – at fourth place. If the team intend to retain him in this new position he needs every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has already worked out a key point: “Playing down the order,” he surmised, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Varied Performances in the Tour

The player noted that “sometimes where it comes off and it looks great and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the initial matches of the tour in the host nation have seen both outcomes. In the opener, he lasted nine balls and scored a low score before holing out to the deep fielder; in the next game, he faced 12 deliveries, hit runs, and finished not out.

Reflections on Return and Development

The current series has seen Banton return to the nation in which he first played for his country in November 2019. After that, he drifted back out of the side, had a short comeback in 2022 and then passed more than three years in the wilderness before returning for Harry Brook’s initial match as skipper. “On the flight over, it was weird,” he said. “Time has passed when I made my debut. It feels like a lot has occurred in that time. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The period after I got dropped from England 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 a fresh challenge to work out. Banton is thankful to have been given another chance, and also for Brendon McCullum’s skill to make him comfortable while he works out how best to grasp it. “The coach approached me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Go out and express yourself.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I realize it’s just a brief comment from the staff, but it gives me the support that if it doesn’t come off, 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 go out and do it.’”

Venue Change and Team Selection

Following the first two games of the contest at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a venue with expansive playing area, the visitors complete it on the next day at Eden Park, a multi-use sports facility where the straight boundary at a short distance is among the shortest in the sport. With uncertain weather and an new location they have abandoned their recent habit of announcing their lineup two days in advance while they determine if their ideal XI for this match will be the same as the one that started the earlier fixtures.

Upcoming Changes for ODI Series

On Friday, they move to the coastal town and turn focus to one-day internationals, with a slightly amended team: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while four others come in. Most newcomers arrived in Auckland on the same day but the scheduling of Archer’s Test match buildup implies he will follow two days later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, two seamers who are also preparing for the Tests in the away series but are excluded from the limited-overs team. As a result he will be absent for the first match at the venue, the ground where he was subjected to abuse on his only previous appearance, in a few years back.