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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 Auckland, where they were forced to conduct the final training session before their third game against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what role these two-team contests serve, what useful lessons could possibly be learned – but on this instance, for at least one of the players, that is not an issue.

Tom Banton's Changed Position: Starting Batsman to Middle Order

Tom Banton says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the kind of line regularly trotted out even by players who have already reached the peak of their game, in his situation it is certainly accurate. After building his name as a top-order batter, primarily as an starting player, Banton suddenly finds himself a completely unfamiliar role, 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, ‘Your role will be in the middle order now.’”

Prior to returning in June, the vast majority of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an starting batsman, another 8% at third position and the remaining handful – but for seven balls at No 7 in a domestic T20 game previously – at No 4. If England intend to retain him in this new position he needs every possible opportunity to become accustomed to it, and he has already worked out one thing: “Playing down the order,” he concluded, “is a lot harder than starting the innings.”

Varied Performances in New Zealand

The player noted that “sometimes where it works well and it looks great and other times where it doesn’t”, and the first two games of the winter in the host nation have featured one of each. In the first, he lasted nine balls and scored a low score before holing out to long-on; in the second, he faced 12 deliveries, scored 29, and finished not out.

Thoughts on Comeback and Development

This tour has witnessed Banton return to the nation in which he made his international debut in November 2019. After that, he moved away of the team, had a short comeback in 2022 and then spent more than three years in the wilderness before coming back for Harry Brook’s first T20 as skipper. “During the journey, it was weird,” he said. “Time has passed when I made my debut. Seems a lot has happened in that time. I’ve learned a lot about me. The period 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 working myself out.”

Backing from Coaching Staff

Currently, he has been given something new to tackle. Banton is grateful to have been given another chance, and also for Brendon McCullum’s skill to make him comfortable while he figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “The coach came up to me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Go out and express yourself.’ It’s nice to have that liberty,” 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 the end of the world. It’s something so minor but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the backing from the manager and I can step up and perform.’”

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 the next day at the Auckland arena, a multi-use rugby and cricket ground where the field edge at a short distance is among the most compact in the world. With changeable conditions and an unfamiliar venue they have abandoned their usual practice of announcing their lineup two days in advance while they determine if their ideal XI here will be the identical as the one that began both previous games.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

Next, they move to Mount Maunganui and turn focus to ODIs, with a slightly amended squad: three players are omitted, while four others come in. Most newcomers landed in the city on the same day but the scheduling of the bowler's Test match buildup means he will follow two days 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. Consequently he will miss the first match at Bay Oval, the stadium where he was subjected to abuse on his only previous appearance, in a few years back.