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The English side's training sessions for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in India in February brought them on midweek to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were forced to hold the final training session ahead of their next match against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these two-team contests fulfill, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this instance, for at least one of the players, that is not an issue.

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

The cricketer says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the type of statement often repeated even by players who have long since scaled the pinnacle of their game, in his case it is certainly accurate. After forging his reputation as a top-order batter, mostly as an starting player, Banton now occupies a totally new position, coming in at five or six. “I didn't have 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.’”

Prior to returning in the summer, the vast majority of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an opener, another 8% at No3 and the rest – but for seven balls at seventh spot in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at No 4. If the team plan to retain him in this new position he requires every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out one thing: “Batting in the middle order,” he concluded, “is a lot harder than opening.”

Varied Performances in the Tour

The player noted that “sometimes where it comes off and it looks great and other times where it doesn’t”, and the first two games of the tour in the host nation have seen one of each. In the opener, he lasted a few deliveries and scored a low score before holing out to long-on; in the second, he played 12 deliveries, scored 29, and finished not out.

Thoughts on Comeback and Growth

This tour has witnessed Banton come back to the country in which he first played for his country in November 2019. After that, he moved away of the side, made a brief return in 2022 and then passed a long period in the wilderness before coming back for Harry Brook’s first T20 as England captain. “On the flight over, it was strange,” he said. “It was six years ago when I started internationally. Seems a lot has occurred in that period. I've discovered a lot about myself. The few years after I got dropped 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 given something new to work out. Banton is thankful to have been given another chance, and also for the coach's skill to make him comfortable while he works out how best to seize the opportunity. “Baz came up to me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Go out and play your natural game.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I know it’s only a small thing from the staff, but it provides the support that if it doesn't work, it’s not the end of the world. It’s something so small but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the manager and I can step up and perform.’”

Venue Change and Team Selection

Following the first two games of the series at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a stadium with expansive playing area, the visitors finish the series on Thursday at Eden Park, a multi-use rugby and cricket ground where the straight boundary at a short distance is among the shortest in the sport. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have dropped their recent habit of announcing their lineup ahead of time while they work out if their preferred team here will be the identical as the one that began the earlier fixtures.

Squad Adjustments for ODI Series

On Friday, they move to Mount Maunganui and shift attention to ODIs, with a slightly amended squad: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith come in. Most newcomers landed in Auckland on the same day but the scheduling of the bowler's Ashes preparations means he will arrive two days later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also preparing for the Tests in Australia but are not in the limited-overs team. As a result he will miss the first match at Bay Oval, the ground where he was subjected to abuse on his sole prior visit, in a few years back.