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England's preparations for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in the coming month led them on midweek to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were forced to conduct the last practice run before their next match against New Zealand indoors. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these bilateral series fulfill, what useful lessons could possibly be learned – but on this instance, for at least one of the players, that is no concern.

The Batter'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 athletes who have long since scaled the peak of their sport, in his situation it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a top-order batter, primarily as an starting player, Banton suddenly finds himself a completely unfamiliar role, coming in at five or six. “There weren’t really too many discussions,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the squad and told, ‘Your role will be in the middle order now.’”

Prior to returning in the summer, the vast majority of Banton’s over 160 senior T20 innings had been as an starting batsman, a further portion at No3 and the remaining handful – but for seven balls at seventh spot in a T20 Blast game eight years ago – at fourth place. If England plan to keep him in this new position he requires every possible opportunity to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out one thing: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a much tougher than starting the innings.”

Varied Performances in New Zealand

Banton said that “there’s going to be times where it comes off and it appears brilliant and other times where it fails”, and the first two games of the winter in the host nation have featured both outcomes. In the first, he lasted nine balls and scored nine runs before getting out to long-on; in the second, he played a dozen balls, hit runs, and ended the innings not out.

Thoughts on Return and Growth

This tour has witnessed Banton come back to the nation in which he made his international debut in late 2019. Since then, he drifted back out of the side, made a brief return in recently and then passed more than three years in the wilderness before returning for the new captain's initial match as England captain. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I started internationally. It feels like a lot has occurred in that time. I've discovered a lot about me. The few years after I was left out from the national team was a tough time for me. I had a two- to three-year period where I was finding my way.”

Backing from Team Management

Currently, 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 grasp it. “Baz approached me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Go out and express yourself.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I know it’s only a small thing someone says, but it gives me the backing that if it doesn't work, it’s not the end of the world. It is so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the manager and I can go out and perform.’”

Venue Change and Team Selection

After playing the initial matches of the contest at the South Island ground, a stadium with expansive playing area, the visitors finish the series on Thursday at Eden Park, a multi-use sports facility where the straight boundary at 55m is among the shortest in the sport. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have abandoned their recent habit of revealing their team two days in advance while they determine if their ideal XI here will be the identical as the one that began the earlier fixtures.

Squad Adjustments for ODI Series

Next, they travel to the coastal town and turn focus to ODIs, with a slightly amended team: three players drop out, while four others come in. Most newcomers landed in Auckland on the same day but the scheduling of the bowler's Ashes preparations means he will follow later, flying with two fellow bowlers, fast bowlers who are also preparing for the Tests in Australia but are excluded from the white-ball squad. As a result Archer will miss the opening game at Bay Oval, the stadium where he was subjected to abuse on his only previous appearance, in a few years back.