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The English side's preparations for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in the coming month brought them on midweek to a chilly, rainy New Zealand's largest city, where they were compelled to hold the last practice run before their next match against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these two-team contests serve, what useful lessons could possibly be learned – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

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

Tom Banton says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the type of statement often repeated even by athletes who have long since scaled the pinnacle of their game, in his case it is undeniably true. After building his name as a top-order batter, primarily as an starting player, Banton suddenly finds himself a completely unfamiliar position, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many conversations,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the squad and informed me, ‘You’re going to bat in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Before his recall in the summer, the vast majority of Banton’s 162 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 T20 Blast game previously – at fourth place. If the team intend to retain him in this altered role he requires every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has already worked out one thing: “Playing down the order,” he concluded, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Mixed Results in New Zealand

The player noted that “there’s going to be times where it comes off and it looks great and other times where it fails”, and the first two games of the tour in the host nation have featured both outcomes. In the opener, he lasted nine balls and made a low score before holing out to long-on; in the next game, he played 12 deliveries, scored 29, and ended the innings unbeaten.

Reflections on Comeback and Development

The current series has seen Banton come back to the country in which he first played for his country in November 2019. After that, he drifted back out of the team, had a short comeback in 2022 and then passed a long period in the wilderness before coming back for Harry Brook’s first T20 as England captain. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I made my debut. It feels like a lot has happened in that time. I’ve learned a lot about me. The period after I was left out from the national team was a tough time for me. I had a two- to three-year stretch where I was working myself out.”

Backing 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 Brendon McCullum’s ability to make him comfortable while he works out how best to seize the opportunity. “The coach approached me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Head out and express yourself.’ It's reassuring to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I realize it’s just a brief comment from the staff, but it provides the backing that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not a disaster. It is so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the manager and I can step up and perform.’”

Shift in Location and Team Selection

Following the first two games of the series at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a stadium with expansive playing area, 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 most compact in the world. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have dropped their usual practice of announcing their lineup ahead of time while they determine if their preferred team here will be the identical as the one that began the earlier fixtures.

Upcoming Changes for ODI Series

On Friday, they move to the coastal town and turn focus to one-day internationals, with a slightly amended team: three players drop out, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith join the squad. Three of those players landed in the city on Wednesday but the timing of the bowler's Test match buildup implies he will follow two days later, flying 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. Consequently Archer will miss the opening game at Bay Oval, the ground where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in 2019.