The England opener played a superb knock of 149, which laid the foundation for a record-breaking chase on Day 5 of the Test series opener in Leeds. Duckett has earned his career-best position in the latest ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings after his match-winning knock against India.
Born in Farnborough, the 30-year-old made his T20 debut for Northamptonshire against Gloucestershire in 2012. A year after his T20 debut, Duckett played his first County Championship Division Two game against Leicestershire. A product of Northamptonshire’s youth system, Duckett first represented England at the highest level against Bangladesh in the 1st ODI of the away tour in 2016. He scored a crucial 60 off 78 balls in his first international appearance.
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Duckett is the first player to win both the PCA Young Player of the Year and PCA Player of the Year awards in the same year. Duckett and his partner Paige became proud parents last year, welcoming their daughter, Margot, into the world. The England cricketer announced his engagement to Paige Ogborne over Christmas in 2023.
Reverse-sweeping boundaries against India
The England southpaw is renowned for reverse-sweeping bowlers, especially the spinners. A wicket-keeper batter from Stowe School, Duckett learned to reverse-sweep the cricket ball while playing hockey. In his duel against India’s Ravindra Jadeja at Headingley, Duckett reverse-swept four off the veteran spinner to bring up his sixth Test century.
Hitting three reverse-sweep boundaries against Jadeja, Duckett propelled his score from 86 to 102. Speaking to reporters after the match, England captain Ben Stokes hailed Duckett as ‘one of the best in the world at reverse sweeps’.
Outscoring Alastair Cook
Duckett featured in England’s squad when the Three Lions toured India in 2016. However, he was ejected from the side after a series of unimpressive knocks in the first two Tests. Duckett was then recalled in 2022 for the Pakistan series. Since his return, Duckett has maintained an average of above 53 in Tests.
Before his batting masterclass against India, the Englishman also notched up a century in his comeback match at Rawalpindi. Interestingly, Duckett is quietly outscoring a legend in the longest format of the game. His current Test average (44.98) edges out Alastair Cook’s (44.86) as an opener.
Records galore as Duckett bags career-best ranking
Duckett scored 62 runs in the first and 149 in the decisive innings to seal England’s five-wicket win over India. The England opener’s sublime knock of 149 is the highest by any batter in a final Test innings against India. He also registered the second-highest score by an England opener in the fourth innings of a Test.
Duckett and Zak Crawley’s opening partnership of 188 runs was the fifth-highest in the fourth innings of a Test match and also the second-best for England. Reaching a career-best eighth position, the Player of the Match jumped five spots in the latest ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings. England will meet India for the 2nd Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 2.