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The English side's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February led them on Wednesday to a cool, drizzly New Zealand's largest city, where they were compelled to hold the final practice run ahead of their next match against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what role these bilateral series fulfill, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this occasion, for at least one of the players, that is no concern.

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

The cricketer says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the type of statement regularly trotted out even by players who have already reached the pinnacle of their game, in his case it is certainly accurate. After building his name as a frontline hitter, mostly as an starting player, Banton suddenly finds himself a totally new position, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘You’re going to bat in the middle order now.’”

Prior to returning in June, 87% of Banton’s 162 senior T20 innings had been as an starting batsman, a further portion at third position and the remaining handful – but for seven balls at No 7 in a T20 Blast game previously – at fourth place. If the team plan to retain him in this altered role he requires every chance to get used to it, and he has already worked out one thing: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Varied Performances in the Tour

Banton said that “sometimes where it comes off and it appears brilliant and other times where it doesn’t”, and the first two games of the tour in New Zealand have seen one of each. In the opener, he faced nine balls and scored nine runs before holing out to the deep fielder; in the next game, he played 12 deliveries, scored 29, and finished not out.

Reflections on Comeback and Development

The current series has seen Banton return to the country in which he made his international debut in November 2019. After that, he moved away of the side, made a brief return in recently and then passed a long period in the sidelines 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. Seems a lot has occurred 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 two- to three-year period where I was finding my way.”

Backing from Team Management

And now, he has been given a fresh challenge to work out. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for the coach's skill to put him at ease while he works out how best to grasp it. “Baz approached me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Head out and play your natural game.’ It’s nice to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I realize 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 backing from the manager and I can go out and perform.’”

Shift in Location and Team Selection

Following the first two games of the contest at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a venue with expansive playing area, England finish the series on Thursday at the Auckland arena, 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 dropped their usual practice of revealing their lineup two days in advance while they work out if their preferred team for this match will be the identical as the one that began the earlier fixtures.

Upcoming Changes for ODI Series

On Friday, they travel to the coastal town and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a slightly amended team: three players drop out, while four others come in. Three of those players landed in the city on the same day but the timing of Archer’s Ashes preparations means he will arrive later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also preparing for the longer format in the away series but are excluded from the limited-overs team. As a result Archer will miss the first match at the venue, the stadium where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in a few years back.