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England's training sessions for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in India in the coming month led them on midweek to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were compelled to conduct the final practice run before their next match against the Kiwis inside. The purpose isn't always clear what role these two-team contests fulfill, what valuable insights could possibly be gained – but on this instance, for at least one of the players, that is not an issue.

Tom Banton's New Role: From Opener to Lower Down

Tom Banton says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the kind of line regularly trotted out even by players who have long since scaled the pinnacle of their sport, in his case it is certainly accurate. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, mostly as an opener, Banton now occupies a totally new role, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many conversations,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘You’re going to bat in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Before his recall in June, 87% of Banton’s over 160 senior T20 innings had been as an starting batsman, another 8% 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 the team plan to retain 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 New Zealand

Banton said that “sometimes where it comes off and it appears brilliant and other times where it doesn’t”, and the first two games of the winter in the host nation have featured one of each. In the first, he lasted a few deliveries and made nine runs before getting out to long-on; in the second, he faced 12 deliveries, hit runs, and finished not out.

Thoughts on Comeback and Growth

This tour has witnessed Banton return to the nation in which he made his international debut in November 2019. After that, he moved away of the team, made a brief return in 2022 and then passed a long period in the wilderness before returning for Harry Brook’s first T20 as England captain. “During the journey, it was weird,” he said. “It was six years ago when I started internationally. It feels like a lot has occurred in that time. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The few years after I got dropped from the national team was a difficult phase for me. I had a two- to three-year stretch where I was finding my way.”

Support from Team Management

And now, he has been given a fresh challenge to tackle. Banton is thankful to have been offered a return, and also for Brendon McCullum’s skill to make him comfortable while he figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “The coach came up to me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Head out and play your natural game.’ It’s nice to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I realize it’s only a small thing from the staff, but it provides the support that if it doesn't work, it’s not a disaster. It’s something so small but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the backing from the head coach and I can step up and do it.’”

Shift in Location and Team Selection

After playing the first two games of the series at the South Island ground, a venue with unusually long boundaries, the visitors finish the series on Thursday at the Auckland arena, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the field edge at 55m is among the most compact in the sport. With uncertain weather and an new location they have dropped their recent habit of announcing their lineup ahead of time while they work out if their ideal XI for this match will be the same as the one that started both previous games.

Upcoming Changes for One-Day Matches

On Friday, they move to Mount Maunganui and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a slightly amended squad: three players drop out, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith come in. Most newcomers landed in the city on Wednesday but the timing of the bowler's Ashes preparations implies he will follow later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also building towards the longer format in Australia but are not in the white-ball squad. As a result Archer will miss the first match at the venue, the stadium where he was subjected to abuse on his only previous appearance, in 2019.