England's preparations for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in India 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 ahead of their third game against the Kiwis indoors. The purpose isn't always clear what role these bilateral series serve, what valuable insights could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is no concern.
Tom Banton's Changed Position: Starting Batsman 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 pinnacle of their game, in his case it is certainly accurate. After building his name as a top-order batter, mostly as an opener, Banton suddenly finds himself a completely unfamiliar position, coming in at five or six. “There weren’t really too many discussions,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the squad and told, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”
Prior to returning in the summer, 87% of Banton’s 162 senior T20 innings 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 No 4. If England intend to retain him in this new position he requires every chance to get used to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Playing down the order,” he concluded, “is a lot harder than starting the innings.”
Varied Performances in New Zealand
Banton said that “there’s going to be times where it comes off and it appears brilliant and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the initial matches of the winter in the host nation have seen one of each. In the opener, he faced nine balls and made a low score before getting out to the deep fielder; in the next game, he played a dozen balls, scored 29, and ended the innings unbeaten.
Thoughts on Return and Growth
This tour has witnessed Banton come back to the nation in which he made his international debut in November 2019. After that, he moved away of the side, had a short comeback in 2022 and then spent a long period in the sidelines before coming back for the new captain's initial match as skipper. “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 period. I’ve learned a lot about myself. The period after I got dropped from England was a tough time for me. I had a two- to three-year period where I was finding my way.”
Backing from Team Management
Currently, he has been given something new to tackle. Banton is grateful to have been given another chance, and also for Brendon McCullum’s ability to put him at ease while he figures out how best to seize the opportunity. “Baz came up to me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Go out and express yourself.’ It's reassuring to have that liberty,” 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 a disaster. It is so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the head coach and I can step up and perform.’”
Venue Change and Team Selection
Following the first two games of the contest at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a venue with expansive playing area, England complete it on the next day at Eden Park, a multi-use rugby and cricket ground where the straight boundary at a short distance is among the shortest in the sport. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have dropped their recent habit of announcing their team ahead of time while they work out if their ideal XI here will be the same as the one that started the earlier fixtures.
Squad Adjustments for ODI Series
Next, they travel to Mount Maunganui and shift attention to one-day internationals, with a somewhat changed squad: three players are omitted, while four others come in. Three of those players landed in Auckland on Wednesday but the timing of the bowler's Test match buildup implies he will arrive two days later, travelling with two fellow bowlers, fast bowlers who are also preparing for the longer format in the away series but are excluded from the white-ball squad. As a result he will miss the first match at Bay Oval, the stadium where he was racially abused on his sole prior visit, in a few years back.
