Ben Duckett

A flamboyant left-handed opening batter, Ben Duckett first played for England in 2016 but he'd have to wait until 2022 for his proper initiation into international cricket under the Bazball regime. A wicket-keeper batter by trade, Duckett came through the ranks of age-group cricket at Northamptonshire and made his first-class debut in 2013 while aged just 18. Prior to that, he was also a part of England's squad for the 2012 Under-19 World Cup but had poor returns having finished the tournament with an average of just 19.60 from 6 games. Duckett first burst on to the scene after a remarkable County Championship season in 2015 where he scored just over a 1000 runs including 4 centuries. He did even better in 2016 after starting the season off with a glorious 282* against Sussex before eventually scoring 1338 runs at an average of 58.17 in that year's competition. He also played a crucial hand during Northant's trophy-winning T20 Blast campaign the same year.

After featuring regularly in England Lions' squad and piling on the runs, Duckett received his first international call-up for England's tour to Bangladesh in 2016. On ODI debut, Duckett struck his maiden fifty with England going on to win the game and after a duck in the 2nd ODI, Duckett returned with another fifty in the third. His Test debut followed in the subsequent 1st Test between England and Bangladesh but his scores of 14 and 15 turned no heads. He made his maiden Test fifty in the 2nd Test and retained his spot in the squad for the following series against India but he was pushed down the order to number four with Haseeb Hameed slotted to open. After failing to impress again, Duckett was dropped after just two Tests.

After initially being selected for the 2017/18 Ashes down-under, Duckett found himself unceremoniously dropped on disciplinary grounds. Having allegedly poured a drink over teammate Jimmy Anderson, Duckett was dropped from the senior squad and suspended from the Lions' squad along with being fined. Duckett struggled for form thereafter and was often criticised for his lack of fitness. After a disappointing domestic season, Duckett moved to Nottinghamshire in 2018, first on loan and then for good. He fought his way back into England's T20I squad for a one-off T20I against Pakistan in 2019 to make his international debut in the format but he failed to hold on to his spot thereafter.

After remaining in the fray but having struggled to break into the squad, Duckett's big break came in 2022 after he was identified for his attacking batsmanship and free stroke-play by Ben Stokes. Liberated and given the full license, Duckett shone during his first assignment - a Test series in Pakistan, after he struck a 110-ball 107 while sharing a record 233-run opening stand with Zak Crawley. The partnership came off just 216 deliveries making it the fastest double-century partnership in Test cricket history. Duckett continued to thrive and finished as England's 2nd highest run-getter, only behind Harry Brook who had an outstanding series. He had middling returns on the subsequent tour to New Zealand but he struck a superb 182 against Ireland kickstarted his summer in 2023. Duckett had a middling Ashes, averaging 35.66 from 9 innings.

Having the backing of his captain and given the freedom to play his shots, Duckett was instrumental in Bazball's early success. Getting the team off to rollicking starts along with his opening partner Zak Crawley, the duo dutifully put the opposition on the backfoot right from the outset.

Duckett’s Test successes allowed him a place back into the ODI fray as well, and in September 2023 scored his first limited overs century against Ireland. He however missed out on a spot in the final World Cup squad for 2023. Next up for Duckett was the Test tour to India where he fared much better as an opener. He was the second highest run getter for the visitors, averaging 34.3 but England’s Bazball experiments hit a few roadblocks as they lost the series 4-1. Duckett had a decent home Test summer where he played Sri Lanka and West Indies, and performed in the ODIs against Australia as well. From being an eccentric fringe batter, Ben Duckett has now become a mainstay of the Test and ODI team, getting the full backing of the management.

by Anurag Hegde