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England's training sessions for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February led them on midweek to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were compelled to hold the final practice run before their next match against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these bilateral series fulfill, what valuable insights 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: From Opener to Lower Down

The cricketer 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 pinnacle of their game, in his case it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a top-order batter, mostly as an opener, Banton suddenly finds himself a completely unfamiliar position, batting at five or six. “There weren’t really too many discussions,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘You’re going to bat in the middle order now.’”

Before his recall in June, 87% of Banton’s over 160 senior T20 innings 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 fourth place. If the team intend to retain him in this altered role he needs every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Batting in the middle 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 appears brilliant and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the first two games of the tour in the host nation have featured one of each. In the first, he faced a few deliveries and made nine runs before holing out to the deep fielder; in the next game, he played 12 deliveries, scored 29, and finished unbeaten.

Reflections on Return and Growth

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, made a brief return in recently and then passed a long period in the wilderness before returning for the new captain's initial match as skipper. “On the flight over, it was weird,” he said. “It was six years ago when I started internationally. It feels like a lot has occurred in that time. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The period after I was left out from England was a difficult phase for me. I had a two- to three-year period where I was working myself out.”

Support from Coaching Staff

And now, he has been assigned a fresh challenge to work out. Banton is thankful to have been given another chance, and also for Brendon McCullum’s skill to put him at ease while he figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “Baz approached me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Head out and express yourself.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I realize it’s just a brief comment someone says, but it provides 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 approval from the manager and I can go out and do it.’”

Shift in Location and Squad Decisions

After playing the first two games of the series at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a venue with expansive playing area, the visitors finish the series on Thursday at Eden Park, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the field edge at a short distance is among the most compact in the sport. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have dropped their recent habit of announcing their team ahead of time while they determine if their ideal XI for this match will be the identical as the one that began the earlier fixtures.

Squad Adjustments for ODI Series

Next, they travel to Mount Maunganui and turn focus to ODIs, with a slightly amended team: three players are omitted, while four others join the squad. Most newcomers arrived in Auckland on Wednesday but the scheduling of Archer’s Test match buildup means he will arrive two days later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also preparing for the longer format in Australia but are not in the white-ball squad. Consequently he will be absent for the opening game at the venue, the ground where he was subjected to abuse on his sole prior visit, in 2019.