England opener shows way ahead of must-win games against Afghanistan and South Africa
Vithushan Ehantharajah22-Feb-20251:26
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It was as fine a consolation hundred as they come. An innings which rubber-stamped Ben Duckett as one of England’s best multi-format batters, further vindicating his move to open the batting in ODIs. It also highlighted the shortcomings of his team-mates.Duckett’s 165, the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history, made up 47% of England’s 351. A total which Australia chased down with 15 balls and five wickets to spare in Lahore thanks to Josh Inglis’ own collector’s item century.The way Duckett approached Adam Zampa was particularly fresh, scoring 50 from the 36 balls faced. The rest of the line-up managed just 14 off 24 balls from the legspinner, who dismissed Joe Root (the only other batter to make a score of note) and Harry Brook.”We’ve been wanting that from our batters,” a downbeat Jos Buttler told Sky Sports immediately after the match, referencing Duckett’s journey to three figures. In 15 ODIs since the 2023 World Cup, England have only produced four centuries, and Duckett has been responsible for half of them.Related
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There is a lot to be said for England’s woeful run of 50-over form since the botched defense of their 2019 title. Much of it is summed up by the fact this, their 11th defeat in 15, already has them in “must win” territory for the final Group B games against Afghanistan and South Africa. And the fact Duckett was able to play an innings of such substance will be of some comfort.That comfort is solely down to Duckett’s reliability rather than a blueprint to adopt. The left-hander’s methods are very much his, from the way he chokes the neck of the bat with his bottom hand, to his ability impart a “slap” into every shot in front of the wicket. Both short balls from Spencer Johnson despatched down the ground for successive fours to take him to his hundred from 95 deliveries were fine examples of this.Duckett’s consistency has been something to behold, underlining his maturity and leadership capacity, which is why he finds himself at the forefront of Brendon McCullum’s white ball refresh. Since his return to the Test side in 2022, Duckett has been England’s third-highest runscorer in whites, averaging 43.20 as an opener. Last year, he was also third across all formats, despite not playing a single T20I. And since moving to the top of the order in ODIs, his nine appearances – six against Australia, three against India – have produced 601 runs, with five 50-plus scores and a strike rate of 113.82. By way of comparison, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, one of the greatest 50-over opening partnerships, went at 105.98 and 105.53, respectively.This knock was as much about persistence. At three hours and 35 minutes, with 143 balls faced, taking him from the start of the innings through to the 48th over, this was comfortably the lengthiest of Duckett’s 86 List A innings. In fact, of his 60 Test innings to date, only two have been longer in terms of balls faced.Ben Duckett brought up his second ODI hundred against Australia•Associated PressIt also showcased Duckett’s evolution, underpinned by a sense of responsibility. “I was certainly not fluent at the top – it was probably my slowest powerplay,” Duckett told Sky Sports, having been 17 off 24 before striking the last ball of the 10th over for four. “But I knew in my head that they were gonna bowl a lot of spin through those middle overs, and it was spin that I could target.”The way he played Zampa was smart, but the way he used his array of sweeps (or didn’t, in this case) was smarter.”I think the beauty now is people are cutting off the sweeps for me, which allows me to hit straight. On that pitch, it felt like really early, actually, I’m not gonna sweep too much with the bounce being a little bit invariable. But, I’m gonna commit and run down and and make sure I can hit the ball straight and I think that’s probably the biggest part of my game that I’ve tried to change.”Duckett’s first swept boundary came once he reached three figures, a reverse for four at the end of the 33rd over against Zampa. His three sixes went down the ground – one off Zampa and two off Glenn Maxwell, having clocked the latter’s traits during their recent Big Bash League stint together for Melbourne Stars.As ever with Duckett, there was a bit of light relief when assessing how this particular approach could fair going forward. “I might get caught mid-off next time, who knows… but it’s something that I back myself to do now and you know, I’ve only got to clear the ring.”That, however, was as meme-able as Duckett got. Amid the high of another fine performance was an admission of feeling “flat” at how the match itself transpired.England return to the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday to face Afghanistan, needing to match Duckett’s verve. He himself will be required to match his own – even if this majestic century, comfortably one of England’s best at a major event, was not enough.It was not even the best century of the day.
