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England's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in the coming month led them on midweek to a cool, drizzly New Zealand's largest city, where they were compelled to hold the last training session before their next match against the Kiwis indoors. It is not always obvious what role these bilateral series serve, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this instance, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

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

The cricketer says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the kind of line often repeated even by athletes who have long since scaled the pinnacle of their game, in his case it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a top-order batter, primarily as an opener, Banton now occupies a completely unfamiliar position, batting at five or six. “There weren’t really too many discussions,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the team and told, ‘You’re going to bat in the middle order now.’”

Before his recall in the summer, 87% of Banton’s 162 senior T20 innings had been as an opener, a further portion at third position and the rest – but for a brief stint at No 7 in a domestic T20 game previously – at No 4. If the team intend to retain him in this new position he needs every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Playing down the order,” he surmised, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Mixed Results in New Zealand

The player noted that “sometimes where it works well and it appears brilliant and other times where it fails”, and the initial matches of the tour in New Zealand have featured one of each. In the opener, he lasted a few deliveries and scored a low score before getting out to the deep fielder; in the second, he played 12 deliveries, hit runs, and ended the innings not out.

Thoughts on Comeback and Growth

The current series has seen Banton return to the country in which he first played for his country in late 2019. After that, he drifted back out of the side, made a brief return in recently and then passed a long period in the wilderness before returning for the new captain's initial match as skipper. “On the flight over, it was weird,” he said. “Time has passed when I started internationally. It feels like a lot has occurred in that time. I’ve learned a lot about me. The few years 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.”

Backing from Team Management

Currently, he has been assigned something new to work out. Banton is thankful to have been given another chance, and also for Brendon McCullum’s ability to put him at ease while he works out how best to grasp it. “The coach approached me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Go out and play your natural game.’ It's reassuring to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I realize it’s just a brief comment from the staff, but it gives me the support that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not a disaster. It is so small but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the approval from the head coach 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 venue with expansive playing area, England finish the series on the next day at Eden Park, 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 abandoned their usual practice of announcing their lineup two days in advance while they determine if their preferred team here will be the identical as the one that started the earlier fixtures.

Upcoming Changes for ODI Series

On Friday, they travel to Mount Maunganui and turn focus to ODIs, with a slightly amended team: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while four others come in. Most newcomers landed in Auckland on Wednesday but the timing of Archer’s Test match buildup implies he will arrive later, flying with two fellow bowlers, two seamers who are also preparing for the longer format in Australia but are not in the limited-overs team. Consequently Archer will be absent for the opening game at the venue, the ground where he was subjected to abuse on his sole prior visit, in 2019.