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The English side's training sessions for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in the coming month led them on Wednesday to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were compelled to hold the last practice run ahead of their next match against the Kiwis indoors. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these bilateral series fulfill, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this instance, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

Tom Banton's Changed Position: From Opener to Lower Down

Tom Banton says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the type of statement regularly trotted out even by players who have long since scaled the pinnacle of their game, in his situation it is certainly accurate. After building his name as a top-order batter, primarily as an opener, Banton now occupies a completely unfamiliar role, coming in at five or six. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘Your role will be in the middle order now.’”

Before his recall in June, 87% of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an starting batsman, a further portion at No3 and the rest – but for a brief stint at seventh spot in a T20 Blast game previously – at No 4. If the team plan to retain him in this altered role he requires every possible opportunity to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out one thing: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a lot harder than opening.”

Varied Performances in New Zealand

Banton said that “sometimes where it comes off and it looks great and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the initial matches of the winter in the host nation have seen both outcomes. In the opener, he faced nine balls and scored a low score before holing out to the deep fielder; in the second, he faced a dozen balls, hit runs, and ended the innings unbeaten.

Reflections on Comeback and Development

The current series has witnessed Banton return to the nation in which he made his international debut in late 2019. After that, he moved away of the side, made a brief return in 2022 and then passed more than three years in the sidelines 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 made my debut. Seems a lot has occurred in that time. I've discovered a lot about myself. The few years after I got dropped from the national team was a tough time for me. I had a couple of years period where I was finding my way.”

Support from Coaching Staff

And now, he has been given something new to work out. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for the coach's ability to make him comfortable while he figures out how best to grasp it. “Baz approached me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Go out and express yourself.’ It’s nice to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I know it’s only a small thing someone says, but it provides the support that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not a disaster. It’s something so small 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 series at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a venue with unusually long boundaries, England complete it on Thursday at Eden Park, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the field edge at 55m is among the shortest in the world. With uncertain weather and an new location they have abandoned their usual practice of announcing their lineup ahead of time while they work out if their ideal XI here will be the identical as the side that started both previous games.

Squad Adjustments for ODI Series

On Friday, they travel to the coastal town and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed squad: three players are omitted, while four others join the squad. Three of those players arrived in Auckland on Wednesday but the timing of the bowler's Ashes preparations implies he will arrive two days later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, two seamers who are also building towards the longer format in Australia but are excluded from the white-ball squad. Consequently he will be absent for the first match at the venue, the stadium where he was subjected to abuse on his sole prior visit, in a few years back.