🔗 Share this article England Delay Squad Reveal for Upcoming T20 Fixture as Weather Compel Indoor Practice England's training sessions for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in the coming month led them on midweek to a cool, drizzly New Zealand's largest city, where they were forced to conduct the final training session ahead of their third game against the Kiwis inside. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these bilateral series fulfill, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this instance, for at least one of the players, that is no concern. Tom Banton's Changed Position: From Opener to Middle Order The cricketer says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the kind of line often repeated even by players who have already reached the pinnacle of their game, in his case it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a top-order batter, primarily as an starting player, Banton suddenly finds himself a completely unfamiliar position, coming in at five or six. “I didn't have too many discussions,” 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 opener, another 8% at No3 and the rest – but for seven balls at seventh spot in a domestic T20 game previously – at fourth place. If the team plan to keep him in this new position he requires every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has already worked out a key point: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a much tougher than opening.” Varied Performances in New Zealand The player noted 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 first two games of the winter in the host nation have seen both outcomes. In the first, he lasted nine balls and made a low score before getting out to long-on; in the second, he played a dozen balls, hit runs, and finished not out. Reflections on Comeback and Development This tour has seen Banton come back to the nation in which he first played for his country in November 2019. After that, he drifted back out of the side, had a short comeback in recently and then spent a long period in the sidelines before returning for Harry Brook’s first T20 as England captain. “On the flight over, it was strange,” he said. “It was six years ago 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 got dropped from the national team was a tough time for me. I had a couple of years period where I was working myself out.” Backing from Coaching Staff Currently, he has been assigned something new to tackle. Banton is grateful to have been given another chance, and also for the coach's skill to put him at ease while he works out how best to grasp it. “The coach approached me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Go out and play your natural game.’ It’s nice to have that liberty,” Banton said. “I know it’s just a brief comment from the staff, but it gives me the backing that if it doesn't work, it’s not a disaster. It is so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the manager and I can go out and perform.’” Venue Change and Squad Decisions Following the initial matches of the series at Christchurch’s Hagley Park, a venue with expansive playing area, the visitors finish the series on the next day at the Auckland arena, a dual-purpose sports facility where the field edge at a short distance is among the most compact in the world. With uncertain weather and an new location they have abandoned their recent habit of revealing their lineup ahead of time while they determine if their preferred team for this match will be the identical as the side that started both previous games. Upcoming Changes for ODI Series On Friday, they move to Mount Maunganui and turn focus to one-day internationals, with a slightly amended team: three players drop out, while four others join the squad. Most newcomers arrived in Auckland on Wednesday but the scheduling of the bowler's Ashes preparations means he will follow later, flying with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also building towards the Tests in the away series but are excluded from the limited-overs team. As a result he will be absent for the opening game at the venue, the stadium where he was racially abused on his only previous appearance, in a few years back.