14 February 2023 , 11:52
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Ben Duckett has given both England captains an off-field boost with his total commitment to the national cause above all else.
It wasn’t that long ago when there wouldn’t have been any debate about where a player’s priorities lay. England was No.1, but in the current scheme of things, bilateral series and their financial rewards have slipped down the pecking order with some players choosing to miss out on England chances if they don’t believe it will lead to anything further such as a World Cup.
White ball skipper Jos Buttler admitted it was a situation he had to accept, while Ben Stokes has been adamant that the Test environment needs to be so much fun that it attracts players rather than pushes them away.
So for a talented 28-year-old batter like Duckett, who has performed across all three formats since his recall following a six year hiatus, to put England first is a big plus.
“I am desperate to play all formats for England now," said Duckett. “My sole focus is playing for England. I won't be missing out. Three or four years down the line, who knows? But right now, it's all about playing as much cricket as I can for England.
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“I've worked really hard over the last few years and I genuinely wasn't expecting even 12 months ago to be playing all three formats. I guess that's credit for the hard work I've put in over the last few years and I'm thankful that I'm here.
Ben Duckett has loved being back in the England Test team (Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)“It's something I've been working for for five or six years now. I pulled out of a T20 competition [the ILT20] just before the South Africa ODIs to give myself some time to refresh. So I've already made decisions like that to give England everything. For me, this is my priority and I'll be trying to take every chance I get.”
Speaking ahead of what will be his eighth Test cap in Mount Manganui, Duckett epitomises the evolution of the red ball team, empowered to use his strokeplay to full effect at the top of the order in collaboration with Zak Crawley. It worked well against Pakistan and Duckett plans to go just as hard in New Zealand, adding:
“We’ll do well to go better than day one in Pakistan, but with this pink ball in these conditions it might be suited to going harder. I’m in a position where I can set the tone. I’m going to try and take them down early and try to get us off to a good start.”