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The English side's training sessions for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February brought them on Wednesday to a cool, drizzly New Zealand's largest city, where they were compelled to conduct the final practice run ahead of their third game against the Kiwis inside. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these bilateral series serve, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this instance, for at least one of the players, that is not an issue.

Tom Banton's Changed Position: From Opener to Lower Down

Tom Banton 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 peak of their sport, in his situation it is certainly accurate. After building his name as a frontline hitter, mostly as an starting player, Banton now occupies a totally new position, coming in at five or six. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Before his recall in June, 87% of Banton’s 162 professional T20 appearances had been as an opener, a further portion at No3 and the rest – but for seven balls at No 7 in a T20 Blast game eight years ago – at No 4. If England intend to keep him in this altered role he needs every possible opportunity to get used to it, and he has already worked out one thing: “Batting in the middle order,” he concluded, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Mixed Results in New Zealand

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 first two games of the tour in the host nation have seen one of each. In the opener, 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 ended the innings unbeaten.

Thoughts on Comeback and Development

The current series has seen Banton return to the country in which he first played for his country in late 2019. Since then, he moved away of the side, made a brief return in recently and then spent a long period in the wilderness before coming back for Harry Brook’s first T20 as England captain. “During the journey, it was weird,” he said. “It was six years ago when I made my debut. Seems a lot has happened in that period. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The period after I was left out from England was a tough time for me. I had a two- to three-year stretch where I was working myself out.”

Backing from Team Management

Currently, he has been assigned something new to tackle. Banton is grateful to have been given another chance, and also for the coach's skill to make him comfortable while he works out how best to seize the opportunity. “The coach approached me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Go out and play your natural game.’ It's reassuring to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I realize it’s only a small thing from the staff, but it gives me the support that if it doesn't work, it’s not a disaster. It’s something so minor but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the backing from the head coach and I can go out and perform.’”

Venue Change and Squad Decisions

After playing the first two games of the contest at the South Island ground, a stadium with expansive playing area, the visitors complete it on Thursday at Eden Park, a multi-use sports facility where the field edge at 55m is among the shortest in the world. With changeable conditions and an new location they have abandoned their recent habit of announcing 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 One-Day Matches

On Friday, they travel to the coastal town and turn focus to one-day internationals, with a slightly amended team: three players drop out, while four others join the squad. Most newcomers landed in the city on Wednesday but the scheduling of Archer’s Test match buildup means he will follow later, travelling with two fellow bowlers, two seamers who are also preparing for the Tests in the away series but are excluded from the white-ball squad. As a result he will be absent for the opening game at the venue, the stadium where he was subjected to abuse on his sole prior visit, in a few years back.