Ben Duckett

The Northamptonshire left-handed opener rose up the England ranks with some heavy scoring in the England domestic circuit. Being the first player to land the two most prestigious awards - both PCA (Professional Cricketer's Award) Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in the same season in 2016. Duckett amassed 2,706 runs across all formats in a single season with two daddy double-hundreds, against Sussex and Kent respectively. He also scored his maiden List A double century, a massive 220 against Sri Lanka A at Canterbury.

Duckett's emergence though was far from seamless. His fitness issues kept cropping up time and again. Having been dropped from the England U-19 side in 2013, he was left out of the 2015 pre-season tour to Barbados for the very same reason as well. It was David Ripley, the then Northants coach who turned around Duckett's fortunes. A predominantly middle-order basher, Duckett's career seemed to be going nowhere until he was asked to open. 1,000 runs in the Championship followed and the southpaw had risen from the Ashes. His maiden ODI tour to Bangladesh was promising but that was followed by a tough time in Tests in India where his footwork against spin was exposed. He did not play in the rest of the series.

Between 2017 and 2021, he remained on the fringes of the England setup while continuing to perform in domestic cricket. However, in 2019, he did make his T20I debut. He returned to the international arena in 2022, becoming a regular opener in the Test team. Notably, Duckett scored his maiden Test century against Pakistan in 2022 and achieved his then-highest Test score of 182 against Ireland in 2023. In ODIs, he recorded his first century with an unbeaten 107 against Ireland in the same year as well. Duckett was then named in the England squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 and in the 2025 Champions Trophy team as well.

In franchise cricket, Duckett has been a valuable asset across various leagues. He played for Welsh Fire in The Hundred's inaugural season in 2021 and later joined Birmingham Phoenix in 2024. In the Big Bash League, he represented Brisbane Heat during the 2021/22 season and was signed by Melbourne Stars for the 2024/25 season. Duckett's adaptability and aggressive batting style have made him a sought-after player in T20 leagues worldwide.

Duckett’s 2025 campaign began with a historic performance during the ICC Champions Trophy, where he struck a record-breaking 165 off 143 balls against Australia. He carried this aggressive momentum into the 2025 home summer, finishing the Test series against India with 462 runs at an average of 51.33. This series was highlighted by a landmark innings at Headingley in June, where Duckett smashed 149 runs.

The 2025–26 winter season presented a mix of high-value professional moves and on-field challenges. During the December 2025 auction, Duckett was acquired by the Delhi Capitals for the 2026 Indian Premier League season. However, the Ashes tour of Australia proved difficult for the opener, as he managed only 202 runs at an average of 20.20.

He successfully rebounded in January 2026 during the ODI series in Sri Lanka, finishing the tour with 108 runs across three matches, including a top score of 62 in the opening fixture in Colombo. Ben Duckett was initially named in England’s provisional squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup, but later reports indicated he was dropped from the final squad, with Tom Banton taking his place. He concurrently withdrew from IPL 2026 to focus on domestic cricket.