🔗 Share this article

England's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February led them on midweek to a chilly, rainy New Zealand's largest city, where they were compelled to conduct the final practice run before their third game against New Zealand indoors. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these two-team contests serve, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, 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 “continuing to develop”, and if it is the type of statement regularly trotted out even by athletes who have already reached the peak of their sport, in his situation it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, 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 informed me, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Before his recall in the summer, 87% of Banton’s 162 professional T20 appearances had been as an starting batsman, another 8% at third position and the rest – but for seven balls at No 7 in a domestic T20 game eight years ago – at fourth place. If the team intend to retain him in this new position he needs every chance to get used to it, and he has figured out one thing: “Playing down the order,” he concluded, “is a much tougher than starting the innings.”

Mixed Results in New Zealand

Banton said that “there’s going to be times where it comes off and it appears brilliant and other times where it fails”, and the initial matches of the tour in the host nation have featured one of each. In the opener, he lasted a few deliveries and made a low score before getting out to the deep fielder; in the second, he played a dozen balls, hit runs, and finished unbeaten.

Reflections on Comeback and Development

The current series has witnessed Banton return to the country in which he first played for his country in November 2019. Since then, he moved away of the side, made a brief return in 2022 and then passed a long period in the wilderness before coming back for Harry Brook’s first T20 as skipper. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “It was six years ago when I started internationally. Seems a lot has occurred in that period. I've discovered a lot about me. The few years after I was left out from the national team was a tough time for me. I had a two- to three-year stretch where I was working myself out.”

Support from Team Management

Currently, he has been assigned something new to tackle. Banton is thankful to have been offered a return, and also for Brendon McCullum’s ability to make him comfortable while he figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “The coach approached me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Head out and express yourself.’ It’s nice to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I realize 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 is so small but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the approval from the manager and I can go out and do it.’”

Venue Change and Team Selection

Following the initial matches of the contest at the South Island ground, a venue with expansive playing area, England complete it on Thursday at Eden Park, a dual-purpose sports facility where the straight boundary at a short distance is among the most compact in the world. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have dropped their recent habit of revealing their team ahead of time while they work out if their ideal XI here will be the identical as the one that began both previous games.

Upcoming Changes for One-Day Matches

Next, they travel to the coastal town and turn focus to ODIs, with a somewhat changed squad: three players drop out, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith join the squad. Three of those players 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 limited-overs team. Consequently he will be absent for the first match at the venue, the stadium where he was racially abused on his sole prior visit, in a few years back.