🔗 Share this article

England's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February led them on Wednesday to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were forced to conduct the last practice run before their third game against the Kiwis indoors. It is not always obvious what role these bilateral series serve, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is not an issue.

The Batter's Changed Position: From Opener to Lower Down

Tom Banton says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the type of statement often repeated even by players who have long since scaled the peak of their game, in his case it is certainly accurate. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, primarily as an starting player, Banton now occupies a completely unfamiliar role, coming in at the middle order. “I didn't have too many conversations,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the team and told, ‘Your role will be in the middle order now.’”

Before his recall in the summer, 87% of Banton’s over 160 senior T20 innings had been as an starting batsman, a further portion at third position and the rest – but for seven balls at seventh spot in a domestic T20 game previously – at fourth place. If the team plan to keep him in this new position he requires every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Batting in the middle order,” he concluded, “is a lot harder than starting the innings.”

Mixed Results in the Tour

Banton said that “there’s going to be times where it works well and it looks great and on other occasions where it fails”, and the first two games of the tour in the host nation have featured one of each. In the first, he faced nine balls and made nine runs before holing out to long-on; in the next game, he played 12 deliveries, hit runs, and finished unbeaten.

Thoughts on Comeback and Development

This tour has witnessed Banton return to the nation in which he first played for his country in November 2019. Since then, he drifted back out of the side, had a short comeback in 2022 and then spent a long period in the wilderness before coming back for Harry Brook’s first T20 as England captain. “On the flight over, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I started internationally. It feels like a lot has happened 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 couple of years period where I was finding my way.”

Backing from Team Management

And now, he has been given a fresh challenge to tackle. Banton is grateful to have been given another chance, and also for Brendon McCullum’s skill to put him at ease while he works out how best to grasp it. “The coach approached me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Head out and express yourself.’ It's reassuring to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I realize it’s only a small thing someone says, but it provides the support that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not the end of the world. It is so small but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the approval from the manager and I can go out and perform.’”

Shift in Location and Squad Decisions

After playing the initial matches of the series at the South Island ground, a stadium with expansive playing area, England finish the series on Thursday at Eden Park, a multi-use sports facility where the field edge at 55m is among the shortest in the sport. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have abandoned their usual practice of announcing their team two days in advance while they determine if their preferred team for this match will be the identical as the one that began the earlier fixtures.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

On Friday, they move to the coastal town and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed team: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while four others join the squad. Most newcomers landed in the city on the same day but the timing of the bowler's Ashes preparations implies he will follow two days later, travelling 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 be absent for the first match at the venue, the stadium where he was subjected to abuse on his sole prior visit, in 2019.