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England's training sessions for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in the coming month led them on midweek to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were forced to hold the final training session ahead of their third game against New Zealand inside. 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 one of the players, that is no concern.

The Batter's Changed Position: Starting Batsman to Middle Order

Tom Banton says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the type of statement often repeated even by athletes who have long since scaled the peak of their game, in his case it is certainly accurate. After building his name as a frontline hitter, mostly as an opener, Banton now occupies a completely unfamiliar position, batting at the middle order. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the team and told, ‘You’re going to bat in the middle order now.’”

Prior to returning in June, the vast majority of Banton’s 162 senior T20 innings had been as an opener, another 8% at No3 and the remaining handful – but for seven balls at No 7 in a T20 Blast game eight years ago – at fourth place. If England intend to keep him in this new position he requires every possible opportunity to get used to it, and he has figured out one thing: “Batting in the middle order,” he concluded, “is a much tougher than starting the innings.”

Varied Performances in the Tour

Banton said that “there’s going to be times where it works well and it appears brilliant and other times where it fails”, and the initial matches of the winter in New Zealand have featured both outcomes. In the opener, he lasted nine balls and made a low score before holing out to the deep fielder; in the second, he played 12 deliveries, hit runs, and ended the innings not out.

Thoughts on Comeback and Development

The current series has witnessed Banton return to the country in which he first played for his country in November 2019. After that, he moved away of the team, made a brief return in recently and then passed a long period in the wilderness before coming back for Harry Brook’s initial match as England captain. “During the journey, it was weird,” he said. “It was six years ago when I made my debut. Seems a lot has occurred in that period. I’ve learned a lot about me. The period after I got dropped from the national team 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 a fresh challenge to work out. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for Brendon McCullum’s ability to make him comfortable while he works out how best to seize the opportunity. “Baz approached me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Go out and play your natural game.’ It's reassuring to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I know it’s just a brief comment someone says, but it provides the backing that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not the end of the world. It’s something so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the head coach and I can go out and perform.’”

Shift in Location and Squad Decisions

Following the initial matches of the contest at the South Island ground, a venue with unusually long boundaries, the visitors finish the series on the next day at the Auckland arena, a multi-use sports facility where the straight boundary at 55m is among the shortest in the world. With uncertain weather and an new location they have dropped their usual practice of revealing their lineup two days in advance while they determine if their ideal XI for this match will be the same as the side that started the earlier fixtures.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

Next, they move to the coastal town and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a slightly amended squad: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt drop out, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith come in. Most newcomers arrived in Auckland on Wednesday but the timing of the bowler's Ashes preparations implies he will arrive later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also building towards the Tests in Australia but are excluded from the limited-overs team. Consequently he will be absent for the opening game at Bay Oval, the stadium where he was subjected to abuse on his sole prior visit, in a few years back.