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The English side's training sessions for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in India in the coming month brought them on Wednesday to a chilly, rainy Auckland, where they were forced to conduct the final practice run ahead of their third game against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these bilateral series serve, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

Tom Banton's New Role: Starting Batsman to Middle Order

Tom Banton says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the kind of line regularly trotted out even by athletes who have already reached the pinnacle of their game, in his situation it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a top-order batter, mostly as an opener, Banton now occupies a completely unfamiliar position, coming in 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 the summer, the vast majority 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 seventh spot in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at fourth place. If the team intend to retain him in this altered role he requires every possible opportunity to become accustomed to it, and he has already worked out a key point: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a lot harder than opening.”

Varied Performances in the Tour

The player noted that “there’s going to be times where it works well and it looks great and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the initial matches of the tour in the host nation have seen both outcomes. In the first, he lasted a few deliveries and made nine runs before getting out to the deep fielder; in the next game, he faced a dozen balls, scored 29, and finished unbeaten.

Reflections on Comeback and Development

The current series has seen Banton return to the country in which he made his international debut in late 2019. Since then, he drifted back out of the side, made a brief return in recently and then spent a long period in the sidelines before coming back for the new captain's initial match as skipper. “On the flight over, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I made my debut. Seems a lot has occurred in that period. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The few years after I was left out from England was a tough time for me. I had a couple of years stretch where I was finding my way.”

Backing from Team Management

Currently, he has been given something new to work out. Banton is grateful 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 grasp it. “The coach approached me before [the recent game] 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 from the staff, but it provides the support that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not a disaster. It’s something so small but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the head coach and I can step up and perform.’”

Venue Change and Team Selection

Following the initial matches of the series at the South Island ground, a stadium with expansive playing area, England complete it on Thursday at Eden Park, a dual-purpose sports facility where the field edge at a short distance is among the shortest in the sport. With changeable conditions and an unfamiliar venue they have abandoned their usual practice of announcing their lineup two days in advance while they determine if their ideal XI here will be the same as the one that started the earlier fixtures.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

Next, they travel to the coastal town and turn focus to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed team: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while four others come in. Most newcomers landed in Auckland on Wednesday but the scheduling of Archer’s Test match buildup means he will arrive two days later, travelling with two fellow bowlers, fast bowlers who are also building towards the longer format in the away series but are not in the white-ball squad. As a result Archer will be absent for the first match at Bay Oval, the ground where he was racially abused on his sole prior visit, in a few years back.