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England's training sessions for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February led them on midweek to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were forced to hold the last practice run ahead of their next match against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these bilateral series fulfill, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this instance, for at least one of the players, that is no concern.

The Batter's Changed Position: From Opener to Lower Down

The cricketer says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the type of statement often repeated even by players who have already reached the pinnacle of their game, in his case it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, primarily as an starting player, Banton now occupies a totally new position, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the squad and told, ‘Your role will be in the middle order now.’”

Prior to returning in the summer, the vast majority of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an opener, another 8% at third position and the remaining handful – but for seven balls at No 7 in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at fourth place. If the team intend to keep 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 surmised, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Varied Performances in New Zealand

Banton said that “there’s going to be times where it comes off and it appears brilliant and other times where it doesn’t”, and the first two games of the winter in the host nation have featured both outcomes. In the opener, he lasted nine balls and made a low score before holing out to long-on; in the next game, he faced 12 deliveries, scored 29, and ended the innings unbeaten.

Thoughts on Return and Development

This tour has witnessed Banton come back to the country in which he made his international debut in late 2019. Since then, he drifted back out of the side, had a short comeback in 2022 and then spent more than three years in the wilderness before coming back for Harry Brook’s first T20 as England captain. “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 discovered a lot about me. The period after I got dropped from the national team was a tough time for me. I had a couple of years stretch where I was finding my way.”

Backing from Coaching Staff

And now, he has been assigned a fresh challenge to work out. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for the coach's ability to put him at ease while he works out how best to grasp it. “Baz came up to me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Head out and express yourself.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I realize it’s only a small thing someone says, but it gives me the backing that if it doesn't work, it’s not the end of the world. It is so minor but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the approval from the head coach and I can step up and perform.’”

Venue Change and Squad Decisions

Following the first two games of the contest at the South Island ground, a venue with expansive playing area, England complete it on the next day at the Auckland arena, a dual-purpose sports facility where the field edge at 55m is among the shortest in the world. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have abandoned their recent habit of revealing their team ahead of time while they determine if their ideal XI for this match will be the same as the side that began both previous games.

Upcoming Changes for One-Day Matches

On Friday, they travel to Mount Maunganui and turn focus to one-day internationals, with a slightly amended team: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt drop out, while four others come in. Most newcomers arrived in Auckland on Wednesday but the scheduling of Archer’s Ashes preparations means he will arrive two days later, flying with two fellow bowlers, fast bowlers who are also building towards the Tests in Australia but are not in the limited-overs team. Consequently he will miss the first match at Bay Oval, the ground where he was subjected to abuse on his only previous appearance, in 2019.