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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 compelled to conduct the final practice run ahead of their next match against the Kiwis indoors. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these two-team contests serve, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is not an issue.

The Batter's New Role: 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 players who have already reached the pinnacle of their sport, in his situation it is certainly accurate. After forging his reputation as a top-order batter, primarily as an starting player, Banton suddenly finds himself a completely unfamiliar role, batting at the middle order. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the squad and told, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Before his recall in the summer, 87% of Banton’s 162 professional T20 appearances had been as an starting batsman, a further portion at third position and the remaining handful – but for a brief stint at seventh spot in a domestic T20 game previously – at No 4. If England plan to keep him in this altered role he needs every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Playing down the order,” he concluded, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Mixed Results in the Tour

The player noted that “sometimes where it comes off and it looks great and on other occasions where it fails”, and the first two games of the winter in New Zealand have featured both outcomes. In the opener, he lasted a few deliveries and scored nine runs before getting out to long-on; in the second, he faced a dozen balls, hit runs, and ended the innings unbeaten.

Thoughts on Comeback and Development

This tour has seen Banton return to the nation in which he first played for his country in late 2019. Since then, he moved away of the team, made a brief return in recently and then passed more than three years in the wilderness before returning for Harry Brook’s first T20 as skipper. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “It was six years ago when I made my debut. It feels like a lot has happened in that period. I've discovered a lot about myself. The few years after I was left out from the national team was a difficult phase for me. I had a couple of years stretch where I was working myself out.”

Support from Team Management

Currently, he has been given a fresh challenge to work out. Banton is thankful to have been given another chance, and also for the coach's ability to make him comfortable 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 liberty,” Banton said. “I realize it’s only a small thing from the staff, but it provides the backing that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not the end of the world. It’s something so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the approval from the manager and I can go out and perform.’”

Venue Change and Team Selection

After playing the first two games of the series at the South Island ground, a venue with expansive playing area, the visitors complete it on Thursday at Eden Park, a multi-use sports facility where the field edge at 55m is among the most compact in the sport. With changeable conditions and an unfamiliar venue they have dropped their usual practice of revealing their team two days in advance while they work out if their ideal XI for this match will be the same as the side that started both previous games.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

Next, they travel to the coastal town and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed squad: three players drop out, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith join the squad. Three of those players arrived in Auckland 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 not in the white-ball squad. As a result Archer will miss the opening game at Bay Oval, the stadium where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in a few years back.