Duckett to trust his instincts if England come calling again

BEN DUCKETT has vowed to be true to himself whenever his next chance arises at international level, rueful his first stint as an England player came to an unnatural end.

After a 2016 season in which he plundered the thick end of 3000 runs across all formats, including a double hundred in a 50-over match for England Lions, Duckett, 22, began this winter with two half-centuries in three one-day internationals versus Bangladesh, adding another as Alastair Cook’s opening partner in the Test matches that followed.

But ahead of joining Islamabad United for the Pakistan Super League this week, he looks back with regret at the events of his fourth and final Test appearance to date. Tasked with scoring 405 for victory from a minimum 150 overs in Visakhapatnam, mixed messages came out of the England camp about their tactics on the fifth day.

Opting to go on the defensive, Cook and Haseeb Hameed had stonewalled for 50 overs the previous afternoon. Duckett says he was among those encouraged to abandon natural instincts and adopt an alien approach following explicit instructions from Cook. England coach Trevor Bayliss would later say that the batsmen should remain positive to avoid becoming walking wickets.

‘In the last innings I had, Cookie spoke to us, “we’re going to try to bat all day here”,’ said Duckett. ‘That isn’t my game. I was nought off 15 trying to do what we were asked.’

However, he departed to his next delivery via a tangle of a sweep shot against his series nemesis, Ravichandran Ashwin. ‘My way of batting for the draw is trying to get 120 off 160,’ said Duckett. ‘It’s tough just trying to prod back. I was on the verge of getting dropped. I did what the captain said. On another day, you can be a hero but I tried to sweep one which wasn’t there — perhaps because I was in a different mindset.

‘When the England captain asks for a group to do something, you do it.’