Ben Duckett: England opener makes professionalism a priority after Ashes and excessive drinking claims
England opener Ben Duckett says greater professionalism will be a big “priority” for him this summer after the Ashes series was disrupted by off-field issues.
Australia won the Test series 4-1 to retain the jar but disappointment over England’s defeat was compounded by allegations of players drinking excessively between matches, particularly in the seaside town of Noosa.
A video that emerged on social media revealed Duckett was drunk and the 31-year-old admitted aspects of his behavior fell below the required standard on the eve of the England county season.
“If we’re winning that series, it’s probably not news and nobody cares. If Travis Head is in that video, everyone probably absolutely loves him,” Duckett said.
“We were fighting as a team, I was fighting as a player. But you shouldn’t put yourself in that position, you shouldn’t put yourself in that situation. Any human being, let alone a professional athlete.
“It’s no secret that we can definitely tighten up in some areas, and I think that’s the way it’s going to be going forward. And to be honest, I totally agree with that.”
Duckett has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League in a bid to retain his place in the England side and will instead play in the early rounds of the Nottinghamshire County Championship.
He plans to speak to England coach Brendon McCullum in the next few weeks but “doesn’t know” if he will be in the XI for the first test against New Zealand in June.
The left-hander struggled to find form towards the end of last summer and has made just a half-century in 16 innings across all formats this winter.
He made 202 runs in 10 Test innings at 20.20 in the Ashes, with his highest score being 42.
Duckett said it was “no secret” that professionalism was something he “struggled with throughout my career” but was always willing to “throw his hands up” when he broke the rules.
Duckett poured a drink on James Anderson’s head in a bar in Perth while he was part of the Lions tour of England that shadowed the main squad during the 2017-18 Ashes season.
But the Nottinghamshire man hopes that paying more attention to fitness and being in the right frame of mind will prevent his international career from ending unintentionally.
“I was working hard throughout the Ashes and I don’t think I was in really bad shape but I’ve always had some ups and downs. [fitness levels]Duckett explained.
“I think you can grow out of it at 26, 27 or 28. Whereas I’m clearly getting older now.
“I definitely want to make that a priority going forward. I want to extend playing cricket for England and the professional side of that will definitely help as well.”
Duckett and England fast bowler Josh Tongue are set to take part in Nottinghamshire’s opening game of the season against Somerset, which kicks off on Friday, April 3, but are expected to return for Glamorgan’s visit to Trent Bridge next week.
“I’m going to do everything I can for the next four or five weeks to make sure I’m in the best shape of my life,” Duckett added.
“I can’t promise I’ll average 75 for Notts in these games but I’m giving it everything I can in this small block and see where we go from there.”
