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The English side's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February led them on midweek to a chilly, rainy New Zealand's largest city, where they were compelled to hold the last training session ahead of their third game against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what role these bilateral series serve, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least one of the players, that is not an issue.

The Batter's Changed Position: Starting Batsman to Lower Down

The cricketer 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 pinnacle of their sport, in his case it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, primarily as an opener, Banton suddenly finds himself a completely unfamiliar position, batting at five or six. “There weren’t really too many conversations,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Prior to returning in the summer, the vast majority of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an starting batsman, a further portion at No3 and the rest – but for a brief stint at seventh spot in a domestic T20 game previously – at fourth place. If England intend to keep him in this new position he requires every chance to get used 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 the Tour

The player noted that “there’s going to be times where it works well and it appears brilliant and on other occasions where it fails”, and the first two games of the tour in the host nation have featured one of each. In the first, he lasted nine balls and scored nine runs before getting out to long-on; in the second, he played a dozen balls, scored 29, and finished not out.

Thoughts on Comeback and Development

The current series has seen Banton return to the nation in which he first played for his country in November 2019. After that, he drifted back out of the side, had a short comeback in recently and then spent a long period in the wilderness before coming back for Harry Brook’s initial match as England captain. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I started internationally. Seems a lot has happened in that period. I've discovered a lot about me. The period after I was left out from England was a tough time for me. I had a couple of years period where I was working myself out.”

Backing from Team Management

And now, he has been given a fresh challenge to tackle. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for Brendon McCullum’s skill to make him comfortable while he figures out how best to grasp it. “Baz approached me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Head out and play your natural game.’ It's reassuring to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I know it’s just a brief comment someone says, but it provides the backing that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not a disaster. It is so small 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 Team Selection

After playing the first two games of the series at the South Island ground, a stadium with expansive playing area, England finish the series on the next day at Eden Park, a multi-use sports facility where the straight boundary at 55m is among the most compact in the sport. With changeable conditions and an new location they have abandoned their usual practice of announcing their lineup two days in advance while they determine if their preferred team for this match will be the same as the side that started the earlier fixtures.

Upcoming Changes for One-Day Matches

Next, they move to the coastal town and shift attention to ODIs, with a slightly amended squad: three players are omitted, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith come in. Three of those players landed in the city on Wednesday but the timing of the bowler's Ashes preparations implies he will arrive later, flying with two fellow bowlers, two seamers who are also preparing for the Tests in Australia but are not in the white-ball squad. Consequently Archer will be absent for the opening game at the venue, the stadium where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in 2019.