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The English side's training sessions for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in India in February brought them on midweek to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were forced to conduct the final training session ahead of their next match against the Kiwis inside. The purpose isn't always clear what role these two-team contests serve, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this instance, for at least one of the players, that is not an issue.

The Batter's New Role: Starting Batsman to Lower Down

The cricketer says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the kind of line often repeated even by players who have already reached the pinnacle of their sport, in his case it is certainly accurate. After building his name as a frontline hitter, primarily as an opener, Banton now occupies a completely unfamiliar role, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many conversations,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the squad and told, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Before his recall in June, the vast majority of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an opener, a further portion at third position and the rest – but for seven balls at seventh spot in a domestic T20 game previously – at No 4. If England plan to retain him in this altered role he needs every chance to get used to it, and he has already worked 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 comes off 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 getting out to the deep fielder; in the second, he faced a dozen balls, scored 29, and finished not out.

Thoughts on Comeback and Development

This tour has witnessed Banton return to the country in which he first played for his country in November 2019. After that, he moved away of the team, had a short comeback in 2022 and then passed a long period in the sidelines before coming back for Harry Brook’s initial match as skipper. “During the journey, it was weird,” he said. “It was six years ago when I started internationally. It feels like a lot has occurred in that period. I've discovered a lot about myself. The few years after I got dropped from the national team 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 assigned a fresh challenge to tackle. Banton is thankful to have been offered a return, and also for the coach's ability to make him comfortable while he works out how best to seize the opportunity. “The coach came up to me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Head out and play your natural game.’ It’s nice to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I realize it’s only a small thing someone says, but it provides the backing that if it doesn't work, it’s not a disaster. It is so small but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the backing from the manager and I can step up and do it.’”

Venue Change and Team Selection

Following the initial matches 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 rugby and cricket ground where the straight boundary at a short distance is among the shortest in the sport. With changeable conditions and an new location they have abandoned their recent habit of revealing their team ahead of time while they work out if their preferred team here will be the same as the side that started the earlier fixtures.

Squad Adjustments for ODI Series

On Friday, they travel to Mount Maunganui and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed team: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt drop out, while four others join the squad. Three of those players arrived in Auckland on Wednesday but the timing of Archer’s Ashes preparations means he will arrive two days later, flying with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, two seamers who are also preparing for the longer format in Australia but are excluded from the white-ball squad. Consequently he will be absent for the opening game at Bay Oval, the stadium where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in 2019.