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England's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in the coming month led them on Wednesday to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were forced to hold the final training session ahead of their third game against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what role these bilateral series serve, what valuable insights could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

Tom Banton's New Role: Starting Batsman to Lower Down

Tom Banton says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the kind of line often repeated even by players who have already reached the pinnacle of their sport, in his situation it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, mostly as an starting player, Banton now occupies a totally new role, coming in at the middle order. “There weren’t really too many conversations,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the squad and informed me, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Prior to returning in June, 87% of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an opener, a further portion at No3 and the rest – but for a brief stint at No 7 in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at No 4. If England intend to retain him in this altered role he needs every chance to get used to it, and he has already worked out one thing: “Playing down the order,” he surmised, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Varied Performances in New Zealand

The player noted that “sometimes where it works well and it looks great and other times where it fails”, and the first two games of the tour in New Zealand have featured both outcomes. In the first, he lasted a few deliveries and made nine runs before getting out to the deep fielder; in the second, he faced 12 deliveries, hit runs, and ended the innings unbeaten.

Reflections on Return and Growth

The current series has witnessed Banton come back to the nation in which he first played for his country in late 2019. Since then, he drifted back out of the team, had a short comeback in recently and then spent a long period in the sidelines before returning for the new captain's initial match as England captain. “On the flight over, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I made my debut. Seems a lot has happened in that period. I've discovered a lot about myself. The period after I was left out from the national team was a tough time for me. I had a couple of years period where I was working myself out.”

Backing from Coaching Staff

Currently, he has been given something new to work out. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for Brendon McCullum’s ability 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 nice to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I know it’s just a brief comment from the staff, but it provides the support that if it doesn't work, it’s not the end of the world. It is so small but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the head coach and I can go out and perform.’”

Venue Change and Squad Decisions

After playing the initial matches of the series at the South Island ground, a stadium with expansive playing area, England complete it on the next day at the Auckland arena, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the field edge at 55m is among the shortest in the world. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have abandoned their recent habit of revealing their lineup ahead of time while they work out if their preferred team for this match will be the same as the side that started the earlier fixtures.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

Next, they move to the coastal town and shift attention to ODIs, with a slightly amended squad: 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 the same day but the scheduling of the bowler's Test match buildup means he will arrive 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 white-ball squad. Consequently 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.