Ben Duckett has shared how deeply England’s recent setbacks in India and at the Champions Trophy in Pakistan have affected him, describing the experiences as “hurting me so much.” He is determined to make things right this summer.
Since the beginning of the year, England has endured a tough time, winning only one out of 11 white-ball matches, including losing all three of their Champions Trophy games and finishing at the bottom of their group. This poor performance led to Jos Buttler stepping down as captain.
As England’s tactics came under fire, Duckett sparked some surprise during India’s 3-0 ODI series victory when he remarked, “I do not care as long as we beat them in the final of the Champions Trophy.”
Rob Key, the managing director of men’s cricket, acknowledged that players sometimes make comments to keep morale high and avoid creating friction in the dressing room. Duckett, however, stressed that the results matter deeply to the team.
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“All we want to do is win,” said Duckett. “If you had a camera in the dressing room after every loss in India and at the Champions Trophy, you’d see a group of players who were devastated.”
He added, “I think sometimes our style of play may give the impression that we don’t care, but there’s a lot going on behind the scenes with Baz [Brendon McCullum] and the coaches. It’s a lot more complex than it may seem, and moving forward, things might look different. We will still play in the same way, but the aim is to win games.”
Reflecting on England’s struggles, Duckett said, “For me, those two months in India and Pakistan, they hurt me so much. I want to win everything, I do. We have a chance to make it right, and I’m eager to have a strong summer and win plenty of games.”
After an intense year of cricket, Duckett plans to miss the early part of the County Championship, aiming to be fully prepared for the five-Test series against India.
“Nothing’s certain at the moment,” Duckett explained. “It’s a tricky situation because Nottinghamshire has been instrumental in my career, and I want to give back to them. I’ve sat down with [head coach] Peter Moores, and we’ve made a plan. He understands – I’ve been playing non-stop, and my body was struggling during the Champions Trophy. I want to be in peak form and in a good headspace for the first Test against India.”
Duckett also made headlines after temporarily deactivating his X (formerly Twitter) account following some misinterpretation of his comments about facing India’s fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah.
“Right now, if you ask me about Jasprit Bumrah, I’d say he’s probably the toughest bowler to face in the world,” Duckett commented on Monday during Nottinghamshire’s media day.
He added, “It’s been an interesting week, but I think for me, being off Twitter right now is the right decision. Life is definitely easier without it.”
