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England's preparations for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February brought them on midweek to a chilly, rainy New Zealand's largest city, where they were forced to hold the final practice run before their third game against New Zealand indoors. It is not always obvious what purpose these two-team contests serve, what useful lessons could possibly be learned – but on this occasion, for at least one of the players, that is not an issue.

The Batter's Changed Position: From Opener to Middle Order

Tom Banton says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the kind of line often repeated even by athletes who have already reached the pinnacle of their sport, in his situation it is certainly accurate. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, mostly as an opener, Banton now occupies a totally new role, coming in at five or six. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘You’re going to bat in the middle order now.’”

Before his recall in June, the vast majority of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an opener, another 8% at third position and the rest – but for seven balls at seventh spot in a domestic T20 game previously – at fourth place. If the team intend to keep him in this new position he needs 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

The player noted that “there’s going to be times where it comes off and it appears brilliant and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the initial matches of the winter in New Zealand have featured one of each. In the opener, he lasted a few deliveries and scored a low score before holing out to long-on; in the next game, he faced a dozen balls, scored 29, and ended the innings not out.

Thoughts on Return and Growth

This tour has seen Banton come back to the nation in which he made his international debut in late 2019. Since then, he moved away of the side, made a brief return in 2022 and then passed more than three years in the wilderness before returning for Harry Brook’s first T20 as England captain. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “It was six years ago when I made my debut. It feels like a lot has occurred in that period. I've discovered a lot about myself. The period after I got dropped from England was a difficult phase for me. I had a two- to three-year stretch where I was finding my way.”

Support from Team Management

Currently, he has been assigned something new to work out. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for the coach's skill to put him at ease while he figures out how best to grasp it. “Baz approached me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Head out and play your natural game.’ It’s nice to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I realize it’s just a brief comment from the staff, but it gives me the backing that if it doesn't work, it’s not a disaster. It’s something so small but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the head coach and I can step up and do it.’”

Venue Change and Team Selection

Following the initial matches of the series at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a stadium with expansive playing area, England finish the series on the next day at Eden Park, a dual-purpose sports facility where the straight boundary at a short distance is among the shortest in the world. With uncertain weather and an new location they have dropped their usual practice of announcing their team ahead of time while they work out if their preferred team for this match will be the identical as the side that began the earlier fixtures.

Squad Adjustments for ODI Series

Next, they move to the coastal town and turn focus to ODIs, with a somewhat changed team: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while four others come in. Three of those players arrived in Auckland on the same day but the timing of the bowler's Ashes preparations means he will follow later, travelling with two fellow bowlers, fast bowlers who are also preparing for the longer format in the away series but are not in the limited-overs team. Consequently he will miss the first match at the venue, the ground where he was subjected to abuse on his only previous appearance, in 2019.