Destroyer Duckett leads Lions runfest
BEN Duckett, Dawid Malan, Daniel Bell-Drummond. All names familiar to those who follow county cricket, but surely they will be names that are recognised around the world in a few years, if not months.
Indeed, Duckett and Bell-Drummond have already caused shockwaves across the globe after their 367-run partnership as England Lions crushed Sri Lanka A. That partnership is the second highest in List A games, only behind Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels’ 372 for West Indies v Zimbabwe last year.
Duckett, 21, impressed all series smashing 163 not out in a seven-wicket victory against Pakistan A last week before he made the ninth-highest List A score ever with 220 not out, off just 131 deliveries.
There were plenty of records broken on Monday at Canterbury as Duckett’s innings was also the highest score by a No.3 batsman in List A history, overtaking Alvin Kallicharran’s 206 during Warwickshire v Oxford University at Edgbaston in 1984.
Duckett said: “It’s been the best day of my career so far. There were a couple of times early on when I hit it, it dropped short of fielders and I got a bit of luck.
“When I got to 100 I said I’m going to push on. It was my day I guess – every time I hit the ball it went into the gap. There was a lot of spin bowling, which I do prefer facing. I’ll try and continue this run of form and score some runs when I go back to Northampton.”
England made 425-1, with Malan the only wicket to fall. It made the total the highest in List A where the team lost just the one wicket.
Middlesex man, and Lions skipper, Malan, who was recently called up to the England T20 team but wasn’t selected in the XI, had shown his talents earlier in the series smashing 185 in an 88run Duckworth/Lewis win against Sri Lanka on July 21.
From the fall of the captain, opener Bell-Drummond and No. 3 Duckett composed a masterful partnership, giving them the option to swing from the hip later on in the innings. Bell-Drummond, 22, reached his three figures off 104 balls before finishing unbeaten on 171 just 35 deliveries later.
And having impressed with the Lions, the former England U19 man is targeting a place in the senior side over the years to come.
Bell-Drummond said: “I’d love to play for England, but I can’t control that. All I can do is score runs for Kent and the Lions when given the chance.
“I enjoyed the Lions experience in the winter, working with coaches like Andy Flower and Graham Thorpe, and I’ve been reasonably pleased with how this season has gone so far.”
The day before Duckett and Bell-Drummond went into overdrive, Bell-Drummond’s Kent team-mate Sam Billings also walloped a century on his home ground. Billings, who has played five ODIs and seven T20s for England, hit 175 from only 139 balls in Sunday’s 56-run victory against Pakistan.
It was a successful tri-series for the Lions as they beat Pakistan A and Sri Lanka A twice apiece, with batsmen scoring more than 150 in each fixture.
Andy Flower, the Lions coach, said: “We’ve played four matches and we’ve won four. We’ve had some great performances and we have taken opportunities to put young players out there. It’s a healthy thing for England cricket if they are pushing for places.
“I think English cricket will be better for these guys having to force their way in. These youngsters have to push their way in and earn their spot. It was an incredible series of innings and great partnerships, the selectors will almost certainly take interest in these results.
“None of us can foresee the future but there’s no reason why Ben Duckett can’t go on and have a very successful international future.”
This series also marked the return of Mark Wood, the Durham man having spent a lengthy spell on the sidelines after ankle surgery. Wood was the series leading wicket-taker with eight scalps, even though he only played three of the Lions’ four games.
And while eight wickets is impressive on its own, Wood’s 24 overs across his trio of games only cost him 79 runs, giving a superb economy rate of 3.29 and average of under ten.
Tom Curran took six in the series while Liam Dawson and George Garton each grabbed five. Garton’s five included 4-43 in Monday’s clash where Malan also claimed one from just two overs.
The Lions dismissed their opponents in three of the four matches, perhaps showing that, while the batsmen grabbed all the headlines, it was a true team effort.