Ben Duckett has been backed to thrive long-term in a position that has given England a headache for several years after grasping his second chance at Test cricket with both hands.
Since his recall late last year, Duckett has been the model opening batter for the regime under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, averaging 56.44 at an eye-popping strike-rate of 95.48 in five Tests.
Of the various options England have tried since Sir Andrew Strauss’ retirement in 2012, Sir Alastair Cook and Joe Root are the only other batters to have averaged north of 40 up top for England.
While this summer’s Ashes series will present an examination of Duckett’s credentials, his head coach at Nottinghamshire Peter Moores feels the left-hander has the technique and temperament to excel against any opposition attack.
Moores told the PA news agency: “Ben’s a dangerous player because of the speed he scores at and where he scores.
“He’s got that ability to hit the ball in areas that are hard to defend against and can be a real nightmare for the opposing captain, not just against spin – which he’s got a reputation for – but also against seamers.
“How he’s played for us in all formats in the last two to three years has been outstanding and he’s taken that form into England, which says that it’s his time.
“I expect him to do really well, I don’t think anything will change. He knows his game and a player like that is a great thing for England to have. I think it’s the right time for him now to be opening the batting for England.”
All of Duckett’s nine Tests have been overseas but he is set for his first appearance at home as England take on Ireland, starting on Thursday at Lord’s, where the 28-year-old made a stunning 177 in an LV= Insurance County Championship match against Middlesex last month.
Duckett is averaging over 50 domestically against the red ball since the beginning 2020, the year in which he “lost around nine or 10kg” as part of a fitness drive and hit the winning runs in the Vitality Blast final – 12 months after failing to get a single off the last ball in the semi-final.
Up until that point, one or two minor indiscretions had threatened to define the career of Duckett – who had his first crack with England in 2016, playing four Tests – but he has flourished under the tutelage of Moores after switching to Nottinghamshire from Northamptonshire four years ago.
The former England head coach said: “In 2020, he really moved his game forward a lot. He got a lot fitter physically and he worked hard at his game. That was a credit to him.
“He made some decisions about the sort of player he wanted to be and I think that was where he really started getting his talent out of himself.
“How he’s played from then on in has been somebody who’s stayed calm at the crease, played well under pressure and backs his own talent to come out, which we’ve seen time and time again.
“When he first came to us he had some tough bits to get through. But what he has done, like all good players, is they look to improve and move the game forward. He’s matured a lot.
“I’m absolutely made up for him. He’s worked really hard to get his chance to be involved with England, he’s done really well since he’s got in and what a summer to be involved in.”
Duckett was Nottinghamshire’s leading run-scorer in the Blast last year but is unlikely to feature much in this campaign because of his England commitments.
Moores added: “You’ll always miss him as a player because of his quality, there’s no doubt about that and whenever we get him, we’re going to really enjoy it.
“But we’ve got a lot of hungry, young players who want to get into that team and it creates an opportunity for them to come in and show what they’ve got and that to me is exciting.”
Greaves hits unbeaten ton as West Indies dominate Bangladesh
Justin Greaves hit an unbeaten century – his first red-ball ton – as West Indies ended day two of their first Test against Bangladesh with a commanding 410-run lead.
Greaves resumed alongside Joshua Da Silva with West Indies 250-5 after day one in Antigua, eventually slamming 115 runs off 206 balls faced as the hosts established a dominant position.
His steady knock ensured the Windies recovered nicely after slipping to 261-7 early on, while Kemar Roach hit a career-best 47 through four defiant hours at the crease.
Hasan Mahmud took three day-two wickets for Bangladesh, including that of Roach, as his short delivery angled in to clip the top of middle stump.
Windies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite declared to put Bangladesh at the crease late on, and there was no respite for the tourists against the hosts' four-man pace attack.
Zakir Hasan fell to Jayden Seales for 15, while Mahmudul Hasan Joy edged Alzarri Joseph for five shortly after being dropped, leaving Bangladesh 40-2 at stumps.
Data Debrief: Career-best for Greaves
Greaves' unbeaten 115 marked his first century in Test cricket, surpassing his previous best knock – a score of 33 versus Australia in January – by some distance.
His strike rate of 55.83 on Saturday, while steady, also bettered his effort of 55.00 during that match in Brisbane. Thanks to his efforts, Bangladesh have a real mountain to climb on day three.
Inglis hails 'hard to stop' Stoinis after ruthless knock
Josh Inglis lauded "hard to stop" Marcus Stoinis as Australia signed off their T20I series against Pakistan in style, claiming a whitewash.
The hosts raced to a seven-wicket victory with almost nine overs remaining in Monday's third match.
After Australia's bowlers had limited Pakistan to just 117 runs, Stoinis ensured they signed off their final white-ball assignment in style, with his unbeaten 61 doing the damage.
Only twice has he bettered that knock in T20Is – versus New Zealand in 2021 (78) and against Oman at the World Cup earlier this year (67*).
"It's been a great week. We've had a lot of fun as a group," Inglis said. "It's been really nice.
"When Stoinis is going like that, he is really hard to stop. One of those sixes was probably the biggest I've ever seen!"
Stoinis, who was named player of the match, added: "Nice to score some runs on a beautiful wicket but credit to the bowlers who kept the total down.
"Yeah, I actually told [Haris] Rauf that this is the first time any of us got the better of him! No, he's a brilliant bowler, bowled well this series."
During their white-ball tour, Pakistan won the ODI series, their first time doing so in Australia in 22 years, but got whitewashed in the T20Is.
Despite the heavy loss, captain Agha Salman chose to focus on the positive effect the experience will have on their young players.
"I think in the middle overs, we didn't capitalise on the start," he said. "But lots of positives.
"The way Usman [Khan] batted, the way Jahandad [Khan] bowled. These youngsters will come good.
"It's obviously a big achievement winning the ODI series, but we could have done much better in the T20Is."
Salt century gives England winning start to West Indies T20 series
Phil Salt hit a superb century as England drew first blood in their T20 series against West Indies, with a commanding eight-wicket victory at the Kensington Oval.
Salt's unbeaten 103 off 54 balls was the highlight for the tourists, who successfully chased down their target of 183 with 19 balls to spare.
The West Indies endured a difficult start and were reduced to 18-3 and later 117-8, with Saqib Mahmood (4-34) and Adil Rashid (3-32) doing the damage.
However, the hosts managed 65 runs in the last 5.2 overs to finish at 182-8, with Gukadesh Motie knocking 33 off 14 balls along the way.
Salt kick-started England's chase with 50 off just 25 deliveries taking them to 73-1 after six overs, with Will Jacks (17) dismissed with the final ball of the powerplay.
Jos Buttler's first match after four months out lasted just three minutes, as the skipper was caught by Motie for a golden duck.
However, it proved a false dawn for West Indies, with Salt and Jacob Bethall (58 from 36 balls) safely steering England to victory.
Data Debrief: Salt completes hat-trick of hundreds as Bethell makes historic half-century
England put their disappointing ODI series behind them, making history with the highest T20 chase at the Kensington Oval.
Salt was the hero with his third T20I century, all of which have come against West Indies in the past 12 months.
Bethell also made history on Saturday. Aged 21 years and 17 days, he become the youngest England player to score a 50 in a T20I.
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