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England's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in India in February led them on midweek to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were forced to conduct the last training session ahead of their next match against the Kiwis indoors. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these two-team contests serve, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is not an issue.

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

The cricketer says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the kind of line regularly trotted out even by athletes who have already reached the pinnacle of their sport, in his case it is certainly accurate. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, primarily as an opener, Banton now occupies a completely unfamiliar role, coming in at five or six. “I didn't have too many conversations,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the squad and told, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Before his recall in June, 87% of Banton’s over 160 senior T20 innings had been as an starting batsman, another 8% at third position and the rest – but for seven balls at No 7 in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at No 4. If the team intend to keep him in this altered role he requires every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Playing down the order,” he concluded, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Varied Performances in New Zealand

Banton said that “there’s going to be times where it works well and it appears brilliant and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the initial matches of the winter in the host nation have featured both outcomes. In the first, he faced a few deliveries and made a low score before holing out to the deep fielder; in the next game, he played 12 deliveries, scored 29, and finished not out.

Reflections on Return and Development

This tour has witnessed Banton come back to the country in which he first played for his country in November 2019. After that, he drifted back out of the side, made a brief return in 2022 and then spent a long period in the wilderness before coming back for Harry Brook’s initial match as England captain. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I started internationally. Seems a lot has happened in that time. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The period after I got dropped from England was a tough time for me. I had a two- to three-year stretch where I was finding my way.”

Support from Team Management

Currently, he has been given something new to tackle. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for Brendon McCullum’s ability to put him at ease while he figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “The coach came up to me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Go out and play your natural game.’ It’s nice to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I know it’s only a small thing someone says, but it provides the support 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 backing from the head coach and I can go out 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 finish the series on Thursday at the Auckland arena, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the straight boundary at a short distance is among the most compact in the world. With changeable conditions and an new location they have dropped their usual practice of announcing their lineup ahead of time while they work out if their ideal XI for this match will be the identical as the one that started both previous games.

Upcoming Changes for ODI Series

On Friday, they move to Mount Maunganui and shift attention to ODIs, with a somewhat changed squad: three players are omitted, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith come in. Most newcomers landed in Auckland on the same day but the scheduling of the bowler's Test match buildup means he will arrive later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also building towards the longer format in the away series but are excluded from the white-ball squad. Consequently he will be absent for the first match at the venue, the ground where he was racially abused on his sole prior visit, in 2019.