Ben Duckett has quickly established himself as a key player in England‘s ultra-aggressive approach to Test cricket. After Alastair Cook, England attempted a number of openers, but none was able to claim the position as their own. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, their lethal opening combination, can quickly dislodge the opposition and win the game for them.
Ben Duckett participated in the Ashes 2023 after playing in a few County Championship contests. He was also a member of the England team that hosted New Zealand for a four-match T20I series. He is now the vice-captain of the England team that will play Ireland in a three-match Twenty20 international series starting on September 20. The southpaw admitted that the English summer had been chaotic because of all the cricket he had to play, but he believed that representing England was an honour.
“This summer has been wild. But regardless of the circumstances, any chance you get to wear an England shirt is an enormous pleasure, Duckett said in an interview with Trent Bridge.
They want us to play that way, not withdraw within ourselves: Ben Duckett
In both innings of the first Ashes Test in Birmingham, the 28-year-old went cheaply out of the game. He did, however, quickly recover to complete the series with 321 runs in nine innings, a 35.67 average, and a 75.89 strike rate. After the first Test, Duckett claimed that England’s Brendon McCullum and batting coach Marcus Trescothick inspired him to play more aggressively starting in the following match.
“In the first Test, I twice nicked off to balls on the fifth or sixth stump, but at Lord’s, I slashed one over gully to get off to a fast start, which was what Baz [Brendon McCullum] wanted. After the game, when I spoke to him and Tres [Marcus Trescothick], they just advised, “Next time, smack it over them.” They want us to play that way, not withdraw within ourselves, said Duckett.
Duckett has played in 15 Tests, 6 ODIs, and 11 T20Is so far in his career, and it looks likely that he will represent his nation in many more matches in the near future.