England opener Ben Duckett feels the side will go into the Ashes series unburdened by previous results, and he admits that their aggressive attitude to Test cricket is moving beyond what has been viewed as risky. He is one of 11 players in England’s squad who have yet to play Test cricket in Australia, and the average age of the team is 28, compared to 33 for the host side.
The players were met in Perth with a variety of amusing headlines from the local tabloids, but the left-handed hitter stated they had got a warm reception. Since his Test return in 2022, Duckett has been England’s leading opener in terms of runs scored. He scored 321 runs in the 2023 Ashes, averaging 35.66.
“This group we’ve got, I actually saw the other day I’m the fourth oldest, which was tough to see. So we’ve got quite a fresh group coming here where there’s not a lot of baggage, which I think will help us,” said Duckett in the Willow Talk podcast.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge. You know how tough it is for touring sides coming over here. I’m not expecting or setting myself any targets. I know I’m opening the batting against probably the best bowling attack in the world in their home conditions,” he added.
For the opening Test, the attack will be without Pat Cummins, who is still recovering from a lumbar stress injury. There is hope he will be available for the second Test, and he completed another solid workout at the SCG on Tuesday.
“You want to play against the best and you don’t want to have guys like that missing out in series like this. But on the flip side, I’m an opening batter and he’s probably one of the best bowlers in the world. So yeah, quietly, I hope it’s not too bad but obviously any game where he’s not playing is an advantage for us,” said Duckett.
Bazball approach becoming more nuanced: Ben Duckett
Much of the pre-series discussion has focused on how Bazball will fare in Australian conditions, but Duckett said that, both individually and as a team, their approach is becoming more nuanced.
“I think now it’s definitely about reading moments. [Brendon McCullum] will come up to me and say, now you’re a better player than just getting 40 off 30 and getting us off to a good start. There’s moments as an opening batsman, for example, it could be at Perth in a few weeks where we’ve got five overs to see at the end of the day. And I did it against India last summer where I actually just got through it. I don’t care how many runs you’ve got, just be there in the morning,” said Duckett.
“I think that’s where we’re trying to go as a team now, it’s not just being this entertaining, reckless at times, side. And it’s something that I’ve got frustrated with myself in the past, where I might have got 80 off 60 and it looks great and stuff, but they’re going to put my side in a good position. So it’s realising moments and doing that and then kicking on and getting a big score. And I think that’s where we’re really wanting to go as a side now,” he added.
Stokes is the most important man in the team: Ben Duckett
Duckett described captain Ben Stokes as probably the most important man in the team and said he had been taken aback by the intensity of his training.
“I can only say we’ve been out here for a few days and he’s been in beast mode. He has been running, bowling two spells, and batting for two hours. The way he trains and stuff these days is something that I’ve never seen before. He’s obviously probably the most important man in this side when he’s bowling. So hopefully he stays fit for all five tests and he’s bowling in all of them because he’s crucial for us,” Duckett concluded.
India
