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England's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February brought them on Wednesday to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were forced to conduct the last practice run ahead of their next match against New Zealand indoors. The purpose isn't always clear what role these bilateral series serve, what valuable insights could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

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

Tom Banton says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the kind of line often repeated even by players who have long since scaled the pinnacle of their sport, in his situation it is undeniably true. After building his name as a frontline hitter, primarily as an starting player, Banton now occupies a completely unfamiliar role, batting at the middle order. “There weren’t really too many conversations,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Before his recall in the summer, 87% of Banton’s 162 professional T20 appearances had been as an opener, another 8% at No3 and the rest – 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 new position he needs every possible opportunity 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 starting the innings.”

Varied Performances in New Zealand

The player noted that “there’s going to be times where it comes off and it looks great and on other occasions where it fails”, and the initial matches of the tour in the host nation have featured one of each. In the first, he lasted a few deliveries and scored a low score before getting out to the deep fielder; in the next game, he played 12 deliveries, scored 29, and finished not out.

Thoughts on Comeback and Growth

This tour has seen Banton return 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 spent more than three years in the sidelines before returning for Harry Brook’s initial match as England captain. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I started internationally. It feels like a lot has occurred in that period. I’ve learned a lot about me. The few years after I was left out from the national team was a difficult phase for me. I had a couple of years period where I was finding my way.”

Support from Coaching Staff

Currently, he has been given something new to tackle. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for the coach's skill to make him comfortable while he figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “Baz 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 realize 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’s something so minor but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the approval from the head coach and I can step up and do it.’”

Venue Change and Squad Decisions

After playing the first two games of the series at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a stadium with unusually long boundaries, England finish the series on Thursday at Eden Park, a dual-purpose sports facility where the field edge 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 team ahead of time while they determine if their preferred team here will be the identical as the side that began the earlier fixtures.

Upcoming Changes for ODI Series

Next, they travel to the coastal town and turn focus to one-day internationals, with a slightly amended squad: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith join the squad. Three of those players arrived in Auckland on Wednesday but the scheduling of Archer’s Ashes preparations means he will arrive two days later, flying with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, two seamers who are also building towards the Tests in the away series but are excluded from the white-ball squad. As a result Archer will miss the opening game at Bay Oval, the ground where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in 2019.