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The English side's preparations for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February brought them on midweek to a chilly, rainy New Zealand's largest city, where they were forced to conduct the last practice run ahead of their third game against the Kiwis inside. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these two-team contests fulfill, what valuable insights could possibly be gained – but on this instance, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

The Batter's New Role: Starting Batsman to Lower Down

The cricketer says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the kind of line often repeated even by athletes who have already reached the pinnacle of their game, in his situation it is undeniably true. After building his name as a frontline hitter, primarily as an starting player, Banton now occupies a completely unfamiliar role, batting at the middle order. “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 the summer, the vast majority of Banton’s 162 senior T20 innings had been as an starting batsman, a further portion at No3 and the remaining handful – but for seven balls at seventh spot in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at No 4. If the team intend to keep him in this new position he requires every chance to get used to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Mixed Results in New Zealand

Banton said that “there’s going to be times where it comes off and it looks great and other times where it fails”, and the initial matches of the winter in New Zealand have featured one of each. In the opener, he faced a few deliveries and scored nine runs before getting out to the deep fielder; in the next game, he played a dozen balls, scored 29, and ended the innings not out.

Thoughts on Return and Growth

This tour has witnessed Banton return to the country in which he made his international debut in November 2019. After that, he drifted back out of the side, had a short comeback in 2022 and then passed more than three years in the sidelines before returning for Harry Brook’s initial match as skipper. “During the journey, it was weird,” he said. “Time has passed when I started internationally. It feels like a lot has happened in that period. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The few years after I got dropped from the national team was a difficult phase for me. I had a two- to three-year stretch where I was working myself out.”

Backing from Coaching Staff

Currently, he has been given something new to tackle. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for Brendon McCullum’s skill to put him at ease while he works out how best to grasp it. “Baz came up to me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Go out and play your natural game.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” 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 is so small but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the head coach and I can step up and perform.’”

Shift in Location and Team Selection

Following the initial matches of the series at the South Island ground, a stadium with expansive playing area, the visitors complete it on the next day at the Auckland arena, a dual-purpose sports facility where the field edge at a short distance is among the shortest in the world. With changeable conditions and an new location they have abandoned their recent habit of revealing their team ahead of time while they determine if their preferred team here will be the same as the one that started both previous games.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

Next, they travel to Mount Maunganui and shift attention to ODIs, with a slightly amended squad: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while four others come in. Three of those players landed in Auckland on Wednesday but the scheduling of Archer’s Ashes preparations means he will arrive later, travelling with two fellow bowlers, fast bowlers who are also preparing for the longer format in the away series but are not in the white-ball squad. Consequently he will miss the first match at the venue, the stadium where he was racially abused on his sole prior visit, in 2019.