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The English side's training sessions for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February brought them on midweek to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were forced to hold the final training session before their third game against the Kiwis indoors. It is not always obvious what purpose these two-team contests fulfill, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this instance, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

Tom Banton's New Role: From Opener to Middle Order

The cricketer says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the kind of line often repeated even by players who have already reached the pinnacle of their sport, in his situation it is certainly accurate. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, primarily as an starting player, Banton now occupies a totally new role, batting at five or six. “There weren’t really too many discussions,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the squad and told, ‘You’re going to bat in the middle order now.’”

Before his recall in the summer, 87% of Banton’s over 160 senior T20 innings had been as an starting batsman, a further portion at No3 and the remaining handful – but for a brief stint at seventh spot in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at fourth place. If England plan to keep him in this altered role he needs every chance to get used to it, and he has figured out one thing: “Playing down the order,” he concluded, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Varied Performances in New Zealand

The player noted that “sometimes where it works well and it looks great and other times where it doesn’t”, and the initial matches of the winter in New Zealand have seen both outcomes. In the first, he faced nine balls and made a low score before getting out to long-on; in the next game, he played a dozen balls, scored 29, and ended the innings unbeaten.

Reflections on Return and Development

This tour has witnessed Banton come back to the country in which he made his international debut in November 2019. After that, he drifted back out of the team, had a short comeback in 2022 and then passed a long period in the wilderness before returning for Harry Brook’s first T20 as skipper. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “It was six years ago when I made my debut. It feels like a lot has happened in that time. I’ve learned a lot about me. The period after I was left out from England was a tough time for me. I had a two- to three-year period where I was finding my way.”

Support from Team Management

Currently, he has been assigned a fresh challenge to work out. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for Brendon McCullum’s ability to put him at ease while he works out how best to seize the opportunity. “The coach approached me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Go out and play your natural game.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I know 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 a disaster. It’s something so small but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the approval from the head coach and I can step up and perform.’”

Shift in Location and Squad Decisions

Following the initial matches of the series at the South Island ground, a stadium with unusually long boundaries, the visitors finish the series on Thursday at the Auckland arena, a multi-use rugby and cricket ground where the field edge at a short distance is among the shortest in the world. With uncertain weather and an new location they have abandoned their usual practice of announcing their team ahead of time while they work out if their preferred team for this match will be the same as the one that started both previous games.

Squad Adjustments for ODI Series

On Friday, they move to Mount Maunganui and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed team: three players drop out, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith join the squad. Three of those players landed in Auckland on the same day but the scheduling of the bowler's Ashes preparations means he will follow two days later, flying with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also building towards the Tests in Australia but are not in the white-ball squad. As a result he will miss the opening game at Bay Oval, the stadium where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in 2019.