England are backing Ben Duckett to be their opener for all formats because the busy left-hander will accompany the brawny Phil Salt at the highest of the order for Wednesday’s first T20 against India.
Duckett has been England’s tone-setter in Tests for the past couple of years and nailed down a spot within the ODI side with a series of eye-catching displays against Australia on the back end of last summer.
While he has a dozen T20 caps, Duckett has not opened within the format for England since his debut in 2019 but a emptiness has arisen with Jos Buttler staying at number three and Will Jacks out of the squad.
Duckett may lack explosiveness but shows intent through his canny 360-degree strokeplay and proficiency on the sweep, and the left-hander could possibly be England’s answer to Australia’s David Warner going forwards.
Duckett’s Ability
“I feel he’s been playing brilliantly well in all formats of the sport,” England captain Buttler said of the 30-year-old.
“You have a look at someone in England cricket now who could open the innings in every format of the sport, it’s credit to the way in which he’s played over the previous few years and he fully deserves his likelihood.
“He’s got a superb repute against spin but he has much more options within the powerplay. With only two fielders out, he’s an incredibly tough guy to defend against with all the various areas that he can hit the ball.
“I feel it’s something that’s going to essentially suit his game and we’re all really excited for it.”
With Buttler deciding to proceed pulling the strings within the outfield after doing so against the West Indies before Christmas, Salt has edged out Jamie Smith for the wicketkeeper’s spot for England’s first T20 at Eden Gardens since their agonising defeat within the 2016 World Twenty20 final by the West Indies.
Fixtures
- 1st T20, Kolkata, January 22
- 2nd T20, Chennai, January 25
- third T20, Rajkot, January 28
- 4th T20, Pune, January 31
- fifth T20, Mumbai, February 2
It also officially marks the beginning of Brendon McCullum’s tenure as England’s head coach in all formats. Upon his appointment last yr, McCullum remarked Buttler looked “a bit miserable at times” during England’s give up of each white-ball World Cups within the last 18 months.
But the possibility to work with former Recent Zealand captain McCullum, who has revolutionised England’s Test team, is one Buttler is relishing.
“I’ve been practising my smile in front of the mirror,” Buttler said, jokingly. “A number of Christmas presents can have been kind of egged in that way, but I feel in a very good place. I’m excited.
“I used to be a Brendon McCullum fan as a player, and would have at all times loved to play with him. I even have quite a lot of admiration for what he did with Recent Zealand.
“He’s really great mates with (former England captain) Eoin Morgan, who’s one in all my good friends, so I got to know him through him and thru various franchise tournaments we were each in at the identical time.
“It’s a robust relationship and I’m really excited to develop an expert coach and captain relationship. I’ve been really energised by it and I’m looking forward to this moment ever because it was mentioned that Baz could change into the white-ball coach as well.”
Bazball
McCullum is trying to bring his philosophy, dubbed ‘Bazball’, to enhance England’s ailing limited-overs sides and they’ll take the attack to India with 4 real quicks in Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton and Gus Atkinson.
Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell will complement front-line spinner Adil Rashid, while Harry Brook will act as Buttler’s deputy, having led England in a 3-2 ODI series defeat by Australia last yr.
“He’s got all of the attributes it is advisable to be a captain,” Buttler added of the Yorkshireman. “He’s someone I’ll lean on for advice on the sphere and get his standpoint.
“Definitely the way in which Harry plays his cricket, watching him from the side captain against Australia, he was as positive a captain as I’ve ever seen.
“We would like to be really watchable, really exciting and be an aggressive team that desires to take the sport on.”
READ MORE: Brendon McCullum – No cotton-wool treatment for Mark Wood and Jofra Archer
