🔗 Share this article

England's training sessions for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February led them on midweek to a cool, drizzly New Zealand's largest city, where they were forced to conduct the final training session ahead of their next match against New Zealand inside. It is not always obvious what purpose these bilateral series fulfill, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this instance, for at least a squad member, that is not an issue.

The Batter's Changed Position: From Opener to Lower Down

The cricketer says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the type of statement often repeated even by players who have already reached the pinnacle of their game, in his case it is certainly accurate. After building his name as a frontline hitter, primarily as an opener, Banton now occupies a totally new role, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the squad and informed me, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Prior to returning in June, the vast majority of Banton’s 162 senior T20 innings 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 previously – at No 4. If England plan to keep him in this altered role he requires every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a lot harder than opening.”

Varied Performances in the Tour

Banton said that “sometimes where it comes off and it appears brilliant and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the first two games of the winter in the host nation have featured one of each. In the first, he lasted nine balls and made nine runs before holing out to the deep fielder; in the second, he faced a dozen balls, scored 29, and ended the innings not out.

Reflections on Comeback and Development

The current series has witnessed Banton return to the nation in which he made his international debut in late 2019. After that, he moved away of the team, had a short comeback in 2022 and then passed more than three years in the sidelines before coming back for Harry Brook’s initial match as England captain. “On the flight over, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I made my debut. It feels like a lot has occurred in that period. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The period after I got dropped from the national team was a tough time for me. I had a two- to three-year 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 the coach's ability to put him at ease while he works out how best to grasp it. “The coach approached me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Go out and play your natural game.’ It’s nice to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I know it’s just a brief comment someone says, but it provides the support that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not the end of the world. It’s something so small but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the approval from the head coach and I can go out and do it.’”

Venue Change and Squad Decisions

Following the first two games of the series at the South Island ground, a stadium with unusually long boundaries, the visitors finish the series on the next day at Eden Park, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the field edge at 55m is among the most compact in the world. With changeable conditions and an new location they have abandoned their recent habit of revealing their team two days in advance while they determine if their preferred team here will be the same as the side that started both previous games.

Upcoming Changes for ODI Series

Next, they move to Mount Maunganui and turn focus to ODIs, with a slightly amended squad: three players drop out, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith join the squad. Most newcomers landed in Auckland on Wednesday but the timing of the bowler's Test match buildup implies he will follow later, flying with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also building towards the longer format in the away series but are not in the limited-overs team. Consequently Archer will miss the opening game at the venue, the ground where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in a few years back.