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The English side's preparations for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in India in February led them on midweek to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were compelled to hold the last practice run before their next match against the Kiwis inside. 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 a squad member, that is not an issue.

The Batter's New Role: Starting Batsman to Lower Down

The cricketer says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the kind of line regularly trotted out even by athletes who have already reached the pinnacle of their sport, in his situation it is certainly accurate. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, primarily as an starting player, Banton suddenly finds himself a totally new role, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the squad and informed me, ‘You’re going to bat in the middle order now.’”

Before his recall in June, 87% of Banton’s over 160 senior T20 innings had been as an opener, another 8% at No3 and the remaining handful – but for a brief stint at No 7 in a domestic T20 game previously – at No 4. If England intend to retain him in this new position he requires every possible opportunity to get used to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a lot harder than starting the innings.”

Varied Performances in the Tour

The player noted that “sometimes where it works well and it looks great and on other occasions where it fails”, and the first two games of the winter in the host nation 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 a dozen balls, hit runs, and finished unbeaten.

Thoughts on Comeback and Development

The current series has seen Banton return to the country in which he first played for his country in November 2019. After that, he drifted back out of the team, made a brief return in 2022 and then passed more than three years in the sidelines before coming back for the new captain's first T20 as England captain. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “It was six years ago when I made my debut. It feels like a lot has occurred in that period. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The few years after I got dropped from the national team was a tough time for me. I had a couple of years stretch where I was finding my way.”

Support from Team Management

And now, he has been assigned something new to work out. Banton is grateful to have been given another chance, and also for the coach's ability to put him at ease while he figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “Baz came up to me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Head out and express yourself.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I know 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 minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the approval from the head coach and I can go out and perform.’”

Shift in Location and Team Selection

After playing the first two games of the series at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a stadium with expansive playing area, the visitors complete it on the next day at Eden Park, a dual-purpose sports facility where the field edge at 55m is among the shortest in the sport. With changeable conditions and an new location they have dropped their usual practice of revealing their team ahead of time while they determine if their ideal XI here will be the identical as the side that started the earlier fixtures.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

On Friday, they travel to Mount Maunganui and shift attention to ODIs, with a somewhat changed squad: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while four others join the squad. Three of those players landed in the city on Wednesday but the scheduling of the bowler's Test match buildup implies he will follow two days later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also building towards the longer format in Australia but are excluded from the white-ball squad. Consequently Archer will be absent for the first match at the venue, the ground where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in a few years back.