🔗 Share this article

England's preparations for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in India in February led them on midweek to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were forced to hold the last practice run before their third game against New Zealand inside. The purpose isn't always clear what role these two-team contests fulfill, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

The Batter's Changed Position: Starting Batsman to Middle Order

The cricketer 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 game, in his case it is undeniably true. After building his name as a top-order batter, mostly as an starting player, 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 middle order now.’”

Prior to returning in the summer, 87% of Banton’s 162 professional T20 appearances had been as an starting batsman, another 8% at No3 and the remaining handful – but for a brief stint at seventh spot in a domestic T20 game previously – at No 4. If the team intend to retain him in this altered role he requires every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out one thing: “Batting in the middle order,” he concluded, “is a lot harder than starting the innings.”

Varied Performances in New Zealand

The player noted that “sometimes where it works well and it looks great and other times where it fails”, and the first two games of the winter in New Zealand have featured one of each. In the opener, he lasted a few deliveries and made a low score before getting out to long-on; in the next game, he faced 12 deliveries, hit runs, and finished unbeaten.

Thoughts on Comeback and Development

This tour has seen Banton return to the nation in which he first played for his country in November 2019. Since then, he moved away of the team, had a short comeback in recently and then passed more than three years in the sidelines before coming back for the new captain's initial match as England captain. “On the flight over, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I started internationally. It feels like a lot has happened in that time. I’ve learned a lot about me. The few years after I was left out from England was a difficult phase for me. I had a couple of years stretch where I was finding my way.”

Backing from Coaching Staff

Currently, he has been given a fresh challenge to tackle. 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 seize the opportunity. “Baz approached 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 someone says, but it provides the support that if it doesn't work, it’s not a disaster. It’s something so small but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the backing from the head coach and I can go out and do it.’”

Shift in Location and Squad Decisions

After playing the initial matches of the series at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a venue with expansive playing area, the visitors complete it on the next day at Eden Park, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the straight boundary at a short distance is among the shortest in the sport. With changeable conditions and an new location they have dropped their recent habit of announcing their team ahead of time while they determine if their ideal XI for this match will be the identical as the one that started the earlier fixtures.

Upcoming Changes for One-Day Matches

Next, they travel to the coastal town and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed team: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith join the squad. Three of those players arrived in the city on the same day but the scheduling of the bowler's Test match buildup means he will arrive two days later, flying with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also building towards the longer format in Australia but are not in the white-ball squad. Consequently Archer will miss the opening game at the venue, the ground where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in 2019.