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The English side's training sessions for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in India in the coming month brought them on Wednesday to a chilly, rainy New Zealand's largest city, where they were forced to conduct the final practice run ahead of their next match against New Zealand inside. It is not always obvious what purpose these bilateral series fulfill, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least one of the players, that is no concern.

Tom Banton's Changed Position: From Opener to Middle Order

The cricketer says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the type of statement regularly trotted out even by athletes who have already reached the peak of their sport, in his situation it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, primarily as an opener, Banton suddenly finds himself a totally new position, coming in at the middle order. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the team and told, ‘You’re going to bat 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, another 8% at third position and the rest – but for a brief stint at seventh spot in a T20 Blast game eight years ago – at No 4. If the team plan to retain him in this new position he needs every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has already worked out a key point: “Playing down the 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 other times where it fails”, and the initial matches of the winter 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 played a dozen balls, scored 29, and ended the innings unbeaten.

Thoughts on Return and Growth

This tour has witnessed Banton come back to the country in which he made his international debut in late 2019. Since then, he moved away of the side, had a short comeback in 2022 and then passed more than three years in the wilderness before coming back for the new captain's first T20 as skipper. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “It was six years ago when I started internationally. It feels like a lot has happened in that time. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The period after I got dropped from England was a tough time for me. I had a couple of years stretch where I was finding my way.”

Backing from Coaching Staff

Currently, he has been assigned 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 figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “The coach came up to me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Head out and express yourself.’ It’s nice to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I realize it’s only a small thing someone says, but it gives me the backing that if it doesn't work, it’s not a disaster. It’s something so minor but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the approval from the head coach and I can go out and do it.’”

Shift in Location and Squad Decisions

Following the initial matches of the series at the South Island ground, a stadium with expansive playing area, the visitors finish the series on Thursday at the Auckland arena, a dual-purpose sports facility where the straight boundary at a short distance is among the most compact in the world. With changeable conditions and an new location 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 same as the one that began both previous games.

Squad Adjustments for ODI Series

On Friday, they move to Mount Maunganui and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed squad: three players drop out, while four others join the squad. Three of those players landed in the city on Wednesday but the timing of the bowler's Ashes preparations implies he will arrive later, travelling with two fellow bowlers, fast bowlers who are also preparing for the Tests in the away series but are excluded from the limited-overs team. As a result he will miss the first match at Bay Oval, the stadium where he was subjected to abuse on his only previous appearance, in 2019.