Ben Duckett returned to Test cricket just over two years ago, maybe even praying that his second attempt would be more successful than his first. Not only is Ben Duckett a mainstay of the squad these days, but he is also one of its most blatant spokesman, without pausing to respond to questions about why England’s Bazballers continue to draw criticism despite their 17 frequently exciting victories in 26 Test matches.
Ben Duckett has opened up on why he will never change his style of play .The England star, who turns 30 in October, also revealed how he is maturing. Ben Duckett also revealed why his 153 from 150 balls at Rajkot is his favorite innings. England’s new style tends to be associated with the same group of names: Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Zak Crawley. But Duckett, who during his six years out of the side feared his style was unsuited to Test cricket, has built an impressive CV of his own.
Ben Duckett’s Test career splitted in two halves.
When Ben Duckett walks out to bat against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford next week, Ben Duckett will be armed with an average of 41, a strike-rate of 85, and – above all – the confidence to be himself. Even if you throw in the false start he made in India in 2016-17, no one in Test cricket has scored more runs, more quickly, since his debut. For context, Virender Sehwag – the buccaneering Indian once regarded as the world’s most attacking opener – had a strike-rate of 82.
It is a sentiment he once thought impossible, not least because of his disinclination to leave the ball, supposedly a crucial weapon in an opener’s arsenal. Of the 1,915 deliveries he has faced in Test cricket, he has offered no shot to just 31. A leave percentage of 1.62 sounds like the work of a tail-end slogger, yet it has forged Ben Duckett’s identity.
The logic is pure Bazball, and it suits Duckett to a T. Ben Duckett’s first stint as a Test cricketer had ended with a tortured 16-ball duck after England captain Alastair Cook told him to block for a draw against India’s slow bowlers at Visakhapatnam in November 2016. Ben Duckett’s next Test innings, under McCullum and Stokes in December 2022 at Rawalpindi, brought him a scintillating 107 off 110 deliveries against Pakistan. Embraced by the new regime, he has responded as they hoped he would.
Ben Duckett’s on-field maturation has been matched by developments off it. Where once the sleepless nights were caused by Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, he can now blame baby Margot, born last month to his partner, Paige – though he admits he sleeps in the spare room the night before a game. Unsurprisingly, he nominates his 153 off 151 balls at Rajkot in February, against an attack including Ashwin, as his favorite Test innings.
Ben Duckett also upset his hosts during that third Test by suggesting Bazball had helped inspire the aggressive brilliance of Indian opener Yashaswi Jaiswal. The idea that England deserved ‘some credit’ was cited by many as proof of their arrogance, but he insists his comments were ‘overblown’. But Ben Duckett’s Rajkot tour de force remains one of only three hundreds in his 23 Tests, and serves as a reminder that he also has seven scores between 71 and 98 – including a pair of seventies in the recent win over West Indies at Trent Bridge.
If Duckett’s form in the Hundred is anything to go by, that shouldn’t be a problem: his 262 runs at an average of 87 and strike-rate of 175 have helped take Birmingham Phoenix into today’s eliminator against Southern Brave at The Oval. Ben Duckett opened up on his view ahead of Sri Lanka test series.
Ben Duckett on Test Cricket Uncertainty and Why He’s Never Fully Satisfied with His Game ahead of 3 match series vs Sri Lanka
England Test cricketer Ben Duckett has revealed that people’s perceptions about their side often come as if the men’s team don’t care much about winning. However, the southpaw has shut down any such notions, claiming that every time they go out on the field to win the game. Since Brendon McCullum has taken over as coach, England have taken to Test cricket fearlessly. They played with an attacking approach throughout their 2022 summer, headlined by a successful run-chase of 378 against India at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, Duckett reckoned that some people can seldom be happy and all they do is criticize. He said:
“In the world we live in, some people can never be happy, and can never make positive comments. They’re always looking to dig and criticize the way anyone plays. The way we play our cricket, with a smile on our faces, gets perceived that we don’t care as much. But I can tell you that every single person who walks out on that field is desperate to win. We just want to do it in a slightly more entertaining way. I think we have done that.”
The left-handed batter has settled into his role as opener fairly quickly and forged a promising one with Zak Crawley. In 35 innings, the duo has amassed 1,475 runs, averaging 43.38.
Ben Duckett recalls youngsters’ reception during The Hundred 2023
Ben Duckett revealed that plenty of kids came up to him to claim how much they loved England’s approach in the 2023 Ashes series, saying:
“I remember playing in the Hundred last year straightaway after the Ashes, and so many kids coming up to me saying they’d watched the Ashes and loved how the team was playing. That’s exactly why we do it.”
The opening batter performed decently in the Test series against the West Indies, scoring 178 runs in five innings. The Englishmen, led by Ollie Pope, will face Sri Lanka in a three-match Test series, beginning on August 21 in Manchester. He must first adjust to a new challenge. With Crawley ruled out of the Sri Lanka series by a broken finger, Ben Duckett is now England’s senior opener, and will go out to bat in Manchester alongside Surrey’s Dan Lawrence, a good friend brought closer by their golfing exploits.