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England's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in the coming month led them on Wednesday to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were compelled to conduct the final practice run ahead of their third game against New Zealand indoors. It is not always obvious what role these bilateral series fulfill, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least one of the players, that is no concern.

The Batter's New Role: From Opener to Middle Order

Tom Banton says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the type of statement regularly trotted out even by players who have long since scaled the peak of their game, in his situation it is undeniably true. After building his name as a frontline hitter, mostly as an starting player, Banton now occupies 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, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Prior to returning in June, 87% of Banton’s 162 senior T20 innings had been as an opener, a further portion at No3 and the remaining handful – but for a brief stint at No 7 in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at fourth place. If the team plan to retain him in this new position he requires every possible opportunity to get used to it, and he has already worked out one thing: “Playing down the order,” he surmised, “is a lot harder than starting the innings.”

Varied Performances in the Tour

Banton said that “sometimes where it comes off and it appears brilliant and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the first two games of the tour in New Zealand have featured both outcomes. In the opener, he lasted nine balls and scored a low score before getting out to long-on; in the second, he played 12 deliveries, scored 29, and finished unbeaten.

Reflections on Comeback and Growth

This tour has seen Banton come back to the country in which he made his international debut in late 2019. Since then, he moved away of the team, made a brief return in 2022 and then spent a long period in the sidelines before returning for the new captain's initial match as skipper. “On the flight over, it was weird,” he said. “Time has passed when I made my debut. It feels like a lot has happened in that period. I’ve learned a lot about me. The few years after I got dropped from England was a tough time for me. I had a couple of years period where I was finding my way.”

Support from Coaching Staff

Currently, he has been given something new 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 figures out how best to grasp it. “The coach came up to me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Go out and express yourself.’ It's reassuring to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I know it’s only a small thing from the staff, but it gives me the backing that if it doesn't work, it’s not a disaster. It’s something so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the head coach and I can go out and do it.’”

Venue Change and Squad Decisions

After playing the initial matches of the series at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a venue with unusually long boundaries, England complete it on Thursday at Eden Park, a multi-use rugby and cricket ground where the field edge at 55m is among the most compact in the sport. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have dropped their usual practice of revealing their team ahead of time while they determine if their ideal XI here will be the same as the one that started both previous games.

Upcoming Changes for ODI Series

On Friday, they move to the coastal town and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed squad: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt drop out, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith come in. Most newcomers landed in Auckland on Wednesday but the timing of Archer’s Ashes preparations implies he will follow later, flying with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also building towards the Tests in the away series but are excluded from the limited-overs team. Consequently he will be absent for the opening game at the venue, the ground where he was racially abused on his sole prior visit, in a few years back.