🔗 Share this article England Delay Team Announcement for Latest Twenty20 Match as Conditions Compel Indoor Practice The English side's training sessions for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in the subcontinent in February led them on midweek to a cool, drizzly New Zealand's largest city, where they were compelled to hold the final practice run ahead of their next match against the Kiwis inside. The purpose isn't always clear what role these bilateral series fulfill, what valuable insights could possibly be gained – but on this instance, for at least a squad member, that is no concern. The Batter's Changed Position: Starting Batsman to Lower Down The cricketer says he is “continuing to develop”, and if it is the type of statement 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 frontline hitter, mostly as an opener, Banton suddenly finds himself a totally new position, batting at the middle order. “There weren’t really too many conversations,” he said. “I just got brought me back into the squad and told, ‘Your role will be in the middle order now.’” Prior to returning in June, 87% of Banton’s over 160 senior T20 innings had been as an starting batsman, another 8% at No3 and the rest – but for seven balls at No 7 in a T20 Blast game previously – at fourth place. If the team intend to keep him in this new position he requires every chance to get used to it, and he has already worked out a key point: “Playing down the order,” he concluded, “is a much tougher than starting the innings.” Mixed Results in New Zealand The player noted that “there’s going to be times where it comes off and it looks great and other times where it doesn’t”, and the initial matches of the winter in the host nation have seen one of each. In the opener, he lasted a few deliveries and scored a low score before holing out to the deep fielder; in the second, he faced a dozen balls, hit runs, and ended the innings unbeaten. Reflections on Return and Growth This tour has witnessed Banton come back to the nation in which he first played for his country in November 2019. Since then, he drifted back out of the side, made a brief return in recently and then passed a long period in the wilderness before returning for Harry Brook’s first T20 as skipper. “On the flight over, it was weird,” he said. “Time has passed when I started internationally. Seems a lot has happened in that period. I've discovered a lot about me. The period after I got dropped from England was a difficult phase for me. I had a two- to three-year stretch where I was finding my way.” Support from Team Management And now, he has been assigned something new to tackle. Banton is thankful to have been given another chance, and also for the coach's skill to put him at ease while he figures out how best to grasp it. “Baz approached me before [Monday’s second T20] 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 from the staff, but it gives me the support that if it doesn’t come off, it’s not a disaster. It is so small but for me it’s, ‘Alright, I’ve got the backing from the manager and I can step up and do it.’” Shift in Location and Squad Decisions Following the first two games of the contest at the South Island ground, a venue with unusually long boundaries, England finish the series on Thursday at the Auckland arena, a multi-use rugby and cricket ground where the field edge at a short distance is among the most compact in the world. With uncertain weather and an unfamiliar venue they have abandoned their usual practice of announcing their lineup ahead of time while they work out if their ideal XI here will be the identical as the side that started the earlier fixtures. Upcoming Changes for One-Day Matches On Friday, they move to Mount Maunganui and turn focus to ODIs, with a slightly amended team: three players are omitted, while four others join the squad. Most newcomers landed in the city on Wednesday but the timing of Archer’s Test match buildup means he will follow two days later, flying with Mark Wood and Josh Tongue, fast bowlers who are also preparing for the Tests in Australia but are not in the limited-overs team. Consequently Archer will be absent for the first match at the venue, the stadium where he was subjected to abuse on his sole prior visit, in a few years back.