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England's training sessions for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in India in the coming month led them on midweek to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were compelled to hold the final training session ahead of their next match against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what role these two-team contests serve, 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 Middle Order

The cricketer 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 pinnacle of their sport, in his case it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a top-order batter, mostly as an opener, Banton suddenly finds himself a totally new role, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many conversations,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the squad and told, ‘You’re going to bat in the middle order now.’”

Before his recall in the summer, 87% of Banton’s 162 senior T20 innings had been as an opener, a further portion at third position and the rest – but for a brief stint at seventh spot in a T20 Blast game previously – at No 4. If England intend to retain him in this altered role he needs every possible opportunity to get used to it, and he has figured out one thing: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a lot harder than opening.”

Varied Performances in New Zealand

The player noted that “sometimes where it works well and it appears brilliant and on other occasions where it fails”, and the initial matches of the winter in New Zealand have featured both outcomes. In the opener, he lasted a few deliveries and scored nine runs before holing out to long-on; in the second, he faced 12 deliveries, hit runs, and finished unbeaten.

Reflections on Return and Growth

The current series has seen Banton come back to the country in which he first played for his country in November 2019. Since then, he moved away of the side, made a brief return in 2022 and then passed a long period in the wilderness before coming back for the new captain's first T20 as England captain. “On the flight over, it was weird,” he said. “It was six years ago when I made my debut. Seems a lot has happened in that period. I’ve learned a lot about me. The few years after I got dropped 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

Currently, he has been given something new to work out. 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. “Baz came up to me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Go out and express yourself.’ It’s nice to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I realize it’s just a brief comment from the staff, but it provides the support that if it doesn't work, it’s not a disaster. It is so small but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the manager and I can step up and do it.’”

Venue Change and Squad Decisions

After playing the initial matches of the series at the South Island ground, a venue with expansive playing area, the visitors finish the series on Thursday at Eden Park, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the straight boundary at a short distance is among the shortest in the sport. With changeable conditions and an unfamiliar venue they have abandoned their recent habit of announcing their lineup two days in advance while they work out if their preferred team here will be the same as the one that began both previous games.

Upcoming Changes for One-Day Matches

On Friday, they travel 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 arrived in the city on the same day but the timing of Archer’s Test match buildup implies he will follow later, travelling with two fellow bowlers, fast bowlers who are also preparing for the Tests in Australia but are excluded from the white-ball squad. Consequently Archer will miss the first match at Bay Oval, the ground where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in 2019.