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England's preparations for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February brought them on midweek to a chilly, rainy New Zealand's largest city, where they were compelled to conduct the final training session ahead of their next match against New Zealand indoors. It is not always obvious what role these bilateral series serve, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

The Batter's New Role: 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 long since scaled 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 suddenly finds himself a completely unfamiliar position, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many discussions,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the squad and told, ‘You’re going to bat in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Before his recall in June, 87% of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an opener, another 8% at third position and the remaining handful – but for seven balls at seventh spot in a T20 Blast game previously – at fourth place. If England intend to retain him in this new position he needs every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Playing down the order,” he concluded, “is a much tougher than opening.”

Mixed Results in the Tour

Banton said that “sometimes where it works well and it appears brilliant and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the initial matches of the winter in the host nation have featured both outcomes. In the opener, he lasted nine balls and made nine runs before getting out to the deep fielder; in the second, he played 12 deliveries, hit runs, and ended the innings unbeaten.

Reflections on Return and Growth

This tour has witnessed Banton return to the nation in which he first played for his country in late 2019. After that, he moved away of the team, had a short comeback in recently and then passed a long period in the wilderness before returning for the new captain's initial match as skipper. “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 discovered a lot about myself. The few years after I got dropped from the national team was a difficult phase for me. I had a couple of years period where I was finding my way.”

Backing from Coaching Staff

Currently, he has been given something new to tackle. Banton is thankful to have been offered a return, and also for the coach's ability to put him at ease while he figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “Baz came up to me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Head 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 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 manager and I can go out and perform.’”

Shift in Location and Team Selection

Following the first two games of the contest at the South Island ground, a venue with expansive playing area, the visitors finish the series on the next day at Eden Park, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the straight boundary at 55m is among the most compact in the sport. With changeable conditions and an unfamiliar venue they have abandoned their recent habit of revealing their team ahead of time while they work out if their ideal XI for this match will be the same as the side that started the earlier fixtures.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

Next, they travel to the coastal town and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed squad: three players are omitted, while four others come in. Most newcomers arrived in Auckland on the same day but the timing of the bowler's Test match buildup implies he will arrive two days later, travelling with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers 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 opening game at the venue, the stadium where he was racially abused on his sole prior visit, in 2019.