Ben Duckett landed in Perth, looked around the dressing-room and realised he is suddenly one of the older heads. “This group we’ve got, I actually saw the other day I’m the fourth oldest, which was tough to see,” he laughed on the Willow Talk podcast. The opener reckons that youth, plus a lack of Ashes scars, could give England an edge when the series starts next month.
Eleven members of the touring party are yet to play a Test in Australia; their average age is 28, five years lower than the hosts’. Local newspapers have tried a few gentle jibes, yet Duckett says the welcome has been warm enough. More importantly, he feels England’s batting philosophy is maturing.
“I think now it’s definitely about reading moments,” he explained. “[Brendon McCullum] will come up to me and say, now you’re a better player than just getting 40 off 30 and getting us off to a good start.” The message is clear: attack remains the default, but only when the match situation allows. “There’s moments as an opening batsman, for example, it could be at Perth in a few weeks where we’ve got five overs to see at the end of the day… actually just get through it. I don’t care how many runs you’ve got, just be there in the morning.”
Duckett admits he has occasionally let quick runs get in the way of a bigger contribution. “I might have got 80 off 60 and it looks great and stuff, but [is that] going to put my side in a good position? So it’s realising moments and… then kicking on and getting a big score.”
Since returning to Test cricket in 2022 he is the leading run-scorer among openers worldwide. In last year’s Ashes he compiled 321 runs at 35.66. Even so, he is not setting numerical targets. “You know how tough it is for touring sides coming over here. I’m opening the batting against probably the best bowling attack in the world in their home conditions.”
That attack will be minus Pat Cummins for the first Test while the fast bowler completes his recovery from a lumbar stress injury. The possibility of facing Australia without their captain produces mixed feelings. “You want to play against the best and you don’t want to have guys like that missing out in series like this,” Duckett said. “But on the flip side… he’s probably one of the best bowlers in the world. So yeah, quietly, I hope it’s not too bad but obviously any game where he’s not playing is an advantage for us.”
Much as the spotlight sits on “Bazball”, Duckett prefers the term evolution. England, he suggests, are moving from being “entertaining, reckless at times” to something more rounded. Analysts inside the camp say the batting unit now holds regular scenario-based meetings, identifying when to press and when to pause. The goal is the same — set the pace — but with greater discipline.
Ben Stokes, expected to bat at No. 5 and bowl limited overs, remains pivotal. Duckett describes the captain as “probably the most important man” in the squad and has been struck by his physical condition. Stokes, he says, has been training like a “beast” since arriving.
The next three weeks will be spent fine-tuning: centre-wicket practice at the WACA, a four-day game in Adelaide, then two days in Melbourne before Brisbane hosts the opener. Duckett knows England’s away record in Australia is bleak — just one series win since 1986-87 — but insists baggage belongs to history books.
“We’ve got quite a fresh group coming here where there’s not a lot of baggage, which I think will help us,” he said. England hope that freshness, plus a more thoughtful brand of aggression, is enough to rewrite their own recent past.
