NEWS
Follow UsWeeks after enduring a horror World Cup campaign that saw them finish seventh, behind Pakistan and Afghanistan, England will reunite with 50-over cricket again as they take on West Indies in a three-match ODI series, starting December 3rd in Antigua.
Jos Buttler will lead the England unit that’s aiming to get back on track, but the upcoming Windies series is set to feature a host of fresh faces, with several World Cup stars being left out. One among them is Ben Duckett, who is in the midst of a career renaissance and is seen as someone that could potentially ‘take England cricket forward’ over the next few years, across formats.
Duckett, who recently smashed a century in Ireland, is seen as a long-term prospect in ODI cricket for the next cycle but speaking to ESPN Cricinfo ahead of the West Indies tour, the 29-year-old made it clear that he is crystal clear about not wanting to think too far ahead.
"I'm genuinely just thinking about the next three weeks," Duckett told ESPN Cricinfo.
“I know how difficult it is to stay in a team when there's this many players and I think the biggest thing I've learned over the last 12 to 15 months is not thinking too far ahead.
"I just think it's a massive opportunity to show what we can do. I've been around and not around the white-ball group for the past however many years and it's been impossible to break into, so for me personally I'm just buzzing to get a go and be out here."
Duckett made his case to be in the 50-over side ahead of the World Cup through stellar showings in the Ireland ODIs, and would, in all likelihood, have made it to the squad had Ben Stokes opted to not come out of retirement. But when asked if he realistically felt that he could feature in the World Cup, the 29-year-old insisted that, being a practical thinker, he knew that his chances were slim.
"I wasn't even thinking about it [to be honest],” Duckett said of the possibility of him playing in the WC.
“There was no way Stokesy was missing out. He would have hobbled through it and still scored runs."
It’s never ideal to be missing out on a competition like the World Cup, but the snub has enabled Duckett to have two full months off from the sport.
The left-hander admitted that there’s ‘never a good time to miss the World Cup’ but asserted that he feels refreshed and ready to go, having had ample time away from the field in the past couple of months.
"I don't think there is ever a good time to miss a World Cup. It could be the only opportunity I have,” Duckett said.
“So certainly not in that way. Those same group of players could go out there and win that World Cup at a different time. It was tough to watch at times and I'm watching mates go out there and struggle. It was really difficult.
"[But] for me personally I have had six weeks to kind of take a breather - it has been a big 12 months for me - and it might actually be quite refreshing. I feel raring to go now."
