Ben Duckett doesn’t want to miss a minute of his career in England after finally leaving his long international break this winter.
Duckett first represented his country as a rising prospect in 2016, playing four Tests and three ODIs in Bangladesh and India before falling out of favor as quickly as he had risen through the ranks.
Aside from a lone T20 appearance in 2019, he wasn’t seen again for the better part of six years, but he’s resurfaced in a big way in recent months.
He has secured a spot in both white-ball teams and has also been given the chance to claim England’s opening position at the Test. With a highly anticipated Ashes series in sight, he is the man in possession heading into Thursday’s series opener against New Zealand.
The 28-year-old plans to make the most of his chances by turning down a January payday in the IL20 competition in the United Arab Emirates in favor of England’s low-key one-day series in South Africa and heading to their T20s. in Bangladesh once his testing obligations are completed.
Test skipper Ben Stokes retired from 50-over cricket last summer after concluding that such planning was no longer possible, but Duckett is happy to make up for lost time.
“My only focus is playing for England. I won’t miss it,” he said.
“Three or four years later, who knows (if I keep it up)? But right now it’s about playing cricket for England as much as possible, something I’ve been working for for five or six years now.
“I pulled out of a T20 match just before South Africa to give myself some time to refresh, so I’ve already made decisions to give England everything. For me this is my priority and I will try to take every opportunity I get.
“I’ve worked really hard over the years and I really didn’t expect to play all three formats even 12 months ago. I think that’s a credit to the hard work I’ve put in over the years and I’m thankful to be here.”
-
7 Tests, 467 runs, 38.91 average
-
6 ODIs, 146 runs, 24.33 average
-
8 T20s, 242 runs, 40.33 average
In the short term, Duckett’s job is to kick off the innings alongside Zak Crawley in the day/night clash at Mount Maunganui.
In December, he scored one of four centuries on the opening day of what was to be a 3–0 whitewash over Pakistan as England hit a whopping 506 runs in just 75 overs. He admits the record day, which marked his first international hundred, is a high bar to match, but he hasn’t given up trying.
“We are doing well to go better than the first day in Pakistan,” he said.
“But with this pink ball, in these conditions, it could be suitable to go faster. Sometimes, when it is difficult, you might see us go even faster.
“I am in a position where I can set the tone. When I start batting in Test cricket there will be times when I have to respect good bowling. But the way I’ve always played is if people miss or bowl badly I’ll try to get them down early and try to give us a good start.’