England Delay Squad Announcement for Latest T20 Match as Weather Compel Indoor Training

The English side's training sessions 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 hold the final practice run ahead of their next match against New Zealand indoors. It is not always obvious what purpose these bilateral series fulfill, what valuable insights could possibly be learned – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.

The Batter's New Role: From Opener to Middle Order

Tom Banton says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the type of statement often repeated even by athletes who have long since scaled the pinnacle of their game, in his situation it is certainly accurate. After building his name as a frontline hitter, primarily as an opener, Banton now occupies a completely unfamiliar role, batting at the middle order. “I didn't have too many conversations,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘You’re going to bat 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 No3 and the rest – but for a brief stint at No 7 in a domestic T20 game previously – at fourth place. If the team plan to keep him in this altered role he requires every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has already worked 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 “there’s going to be times where it comes off and it looks great 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 opener, he faced a few deliveries and scored a low score before getting out to long-on; in the second, he played 12 deliveries, scored 29, and ended the innings not out.

Thoughts on Comeback and Growth

This tour has seen Banton return to the country in which he made his international debut in November 2019. After that, he moved away of the side, made a brief return in recently and then passed more than three years in the wilderness before coming back for Harry Brook’s first T20 as England captain. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “Time has passed when I made my debut. It feels like a lot has happened in that period. I've discovered a lot about myself. The few years after I got dropped from England was a difficult phase for me. I had a two- to three-year period where I was finding my way.”

Backing from Coaching Staff

And now, he has been given something new to tackle. Banton is thankful to have been offered a return, and also for Brendon McCullum’s skill to make him comfortable while he figures out how best to grasp it. “The coach came up to me before [the recent game] and said, ‘Go out and play your natural game.’ It's reassuring to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I know it’s just a brief comment someone says, but it gives me the backing that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not a disaster. It’s something so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the head coach and I can step up and do it.’”

Shift in Location and Team Selection

After playing the initial matches of the series at the South Island ground, a stadium with expansive playing area, England complete it on Thursday at the Auckland arena, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the straight boundary at a short distance is among the most compact in the sport. With changeable conditions and an unfamiliar venue they have abandoned their usual practice of announcing their team two days in advance while they determine if their ideal XI for this match will be the same as the side that began both previous games.

Upcoming Changes for One-Day Matches

Next, they travel to the coastal town and turn focus to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed squad: three players are omitted, while Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith come in. Most newcomers arrived in Auckland on the same day but the scheduling of the bowler's Test match buildup means he will arrive two days later, travelling with two fellow bowlers, fast bowlers who are also building towards the longer format in Australia but are not in the limited-overs team. Consequently he will be absent for the first match at the venue, the ground where he was subjected to abuse on his sole prior visit, in 2019.