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The English side's training sessions for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in the coming month led them on midweek to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were compelled to hold the final training session ahead of their next match against the Kiwis indoors. It is not always obvious what purpose these two-team contests serve, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is not an issue.

The Batter's Changed Position: Starting Batsman to Middle Order

The cricketer says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the kind of line regularly trotted out even by players who have long since scaled the pinnacle of their sport, in his situation it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, mostly as an opener, Banton suddenly finds himself a totally new role, batting at five or six. “There weren’t really too many conversations,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the squad and informed me, ‘You’re going to bat in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Prior to returning in June, 87% of Banton’s over 160 senior T20 innings had been as an opener, another 8% at No3 and the remaining handful – but for seven balls at No 7 in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at fourth place. If the team intend to keep him in this new position he requires every possible opportunity to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Mixed Results in the Tour

The player noted that “there’s going to be times where it works well and it appears brilliant and other times where it doesn’t”, and the first two games of the winter in New Zealand have featured both outcomes. In the first, he faced a few deliveries and scored a low score before getting out to long-on; in the next game, he played 12 deliveries, hit runs, and finished unbeaten.

Reflections on Return and Development

The current series has witnessed Banton come back to the country in which he made his international debut in late 2019. After that, he moved away of the team, had a short comeback in 2022 and then spent a long period in the wilderness before returning for Harry Brook’s first T20 as skipper. “On the flight over, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I made my debut. It feels like a lot has occurred in that time. I've discovered a lot about myself. The period after I was left out from England was a tough time for me. I had a two- to three-year stretch where I was finding my way.”

Backing from Coaching Staff

Currently, he has been given 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 works out how best to seize the opportunity. “The coach approached me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Head out and play your natural game.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I realize it’s only a small thing from the staff, but it gives me the support that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not the end of the world. It is so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the manager and I can go out and do it.’”

Venue Change and Team Selection

Following the first two games of the contest at the South Island ground, a venue with expansive playing area, England finish the series on Thursday at Eden Park, a multi-use sports facility where the straight boundary at 55m is among the most compact in the world. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have abandoned their usual practice of announcing their lineup ahead of time while they determine if their ideal XI for this match will be the identical as the side that began the earlier fixtures.

Upcoming Changes for One-Day Matches

Next, they move to the coastal town and turn focus to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed team: three players are omitted, while four others come in. Most newcomers landed in Auckland on the same day but the scheduling of the bowler's Ashes preparations means he will arrive later, flying with two fellow bowlers, two seamers who are also building towards the longer format in Australia but are not in the limited-overs team. Consequently he will miss the opening game at the venue, the ground where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in 2019.