Ben Duckett bearing no Ashes scars ahead of ODI task in Australia
Batter is taking confidence from tri-series effort as England bid to atone for a 4-1 Ashes drubbing last winter.
Ben Duckett insisted he will not carry any scars from a miserable Ashes into next month’s white-ball trip to Australia after he ended the Pakistan tri-series with a flourish.
Duckett arrived in Australia last winter with a reputation as one of the world’s best all-format batters, but he averaged 20.2 with a top-score of 42 in 10 innings as England were beaten 4-1.
To compound matters, a video circulated on social media appearing to show Duckett in an inebriated and confused state during England’s controversial mid-tour break to the coastal resort town of Noosa.
However, Duckett has an impressive one-day record against Australia, with 470 runs in six matches at 78.33, including hundreds at Bristol in 2024 and Lahore in last year’s Champions Trophy.
After recording two more centuries at the Gaddafi Stadium in the last week, Duckett will head to Australia for a three-match ODI series starting on November 13 in Perth in an optimistic mood.
He told the Press Association: “It’s a different coloured ball and a different format (from the Ashes).
“I’ve got two hundreds against Australia in ODIs. It’s a completely different format so I’ll try to take the confidence from this (tour of Pakistan) into Australia.”
Three defeats in a row in Pakistan meant England finished bottom of the tri-series standings but they rounded off their trip by beating Sri Lanka on Thursday, with Duckett making an ODI-best 167.
While he has been off-colour in Tests for the last 12 months, the left-handed opener is one of England’s most dependable performers in the 50-over format this year with an average of 56.7.
With Jacob Bethell missing the back end of the English summer and the Pakistan tri-series because of a knee injury, Duckett has struck up an effective opening partnership alongside Tom Banton and the pair have averaged 71 together.
Banton has peeled off five 50-plus scores in six innings, including a maiden hundred for England last month, since his ODI recall to give England a welcome headache with Bethell available to return in Australia.
Duckett added: “Opening with Tom has been great. We obviously haven’t done it loads but the small sample we have been together, I feel like it’s been working really well.
“It means we’ve got plenty of guys playing well and to have Jacob coming back in, he’s shown what he can do in an England shirt.
“These are good problems to have and problems I’m sure England selectors and coaching staff want.”