🔗 Share this article The English Team Delay Squad Reveal for Upcoming T20 Fixture as Conditions Force Indoor Training England's preparations for a warm, arid T20 World Cup in India in February brought them on Wednesday to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were compelled to hold the last training session before their next match against the Kiwis inside. The purpose isn't always clear what role these bilateral series fulfill, what useful lessons could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least one of the players, that is no concern. The Batter's New Role: Starting Batsman to Lower Down Tom Banton says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the type of statement often repeated even by players who have already reached the pinnacle of their game, in his situation it is certainly accurate. After forging his reputation as a frontline hitter, primarily as an opener, Banton suddenly finds himself a completely unfamiliar position, batting at five or six. “I didn't have too many conversations,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the squad and told, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’” Before his recall in June, the vast majority 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 the team intend to retain him in this new position he requires every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out a key point: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a lot harder than opening.” Mixed Results in the Tour Banton said that “sometimes where it comes off and it looks great and other times where it doesn’t”, and the first two games of the tour in New Zealand have featured both outcomes. In the opener, he lasted nine balls and made a low score before getting out to long-on; in the next game, he faced 12 deliveries, hit runs, and finished unbeaten. Reflections on Comeback and Growth The current series has witnessed Banton return to the nation in which he made his international debut in late 2019. Since then, he drifted back out of the side, made a brief return in 2022 and then spent more than three years in the sidelines before coming back for Harry Brook’s first T20 as England captain. “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 time. 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.” Support from Coaching Staff And now, he has been assigned a fresh challenge to work out. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for the coach's ability to make him comfortable while he works out how best to grasp it. “The coach approached 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 just a brief comment from the staff, but it provides the backing that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not the end of the world. It is so minor but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the manager and I can step up and perform.’” Venue Change and Team Selection Following the initial matches of the series at the South Island ground, a venue with expansive playing area, England finish the series on the next day at Eden Park, a multi-use sports facility where the field edge at 55m is among the most compact in the sport. With uncertain weather and an new location they have dropped their recent habit of announcing their lineup ahead of time while they work out if their preferred team for this match will be the identical as the side that started both previous games. Squad Adjustments for ODI Series Next, they travel to Mount Maunganui and turn focus to ODIs, with a somewhat changed team: Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt are omitted, while four others come in. Three of those players arrived in the city on the same day but the timing of Archer’s Ashes preparations means he will arrive two days later, travelling with two fellow bowlers, fast bowlers who are also building towards the Tests in the away series but are excluded from the limited-overs team. As a result Archer will be absent for the opening game at Bay Oval, the ground where he was subjected to abuse on his only previous appearance, in a few years back.