How Ben Duckett has further improved against spin
Today, I look at what England's Ben Duckett has been able to add to his game, to make him an even better player against spin. Inspired by his excellent 59* off 31 balls for Notts vs. Sussex last week
If you had to pinpoint one thing that England batters have constantly struggled with over the years, it would surely be playing spin.
It has been a kryponite of the Three Lions for a number of years, and has been exposed as recently as the last six months, playing in the subcontinent.
They struggled against Pakistan’s spin-heavy attack in the test series at the end of 2024, before the white-ball tour of India and the Champions Trophy that followed, further highlighted their struggles.
Whilst work needs to be done as a whole to improve England’s batting against spin, there are some standout players against the turning ball.
Joe Root is as good a player against spin as I’ve ever seen in an England shirt. His balance at the crease, ability to rotate the strike and access all areas of the ground thanks to his proficiency with the sweep shot, is exceptional.
Not too far behind Root is Ben Duckett, who is a master against spin, one of the best in the world across all formats, in my opinion.
Speaking of a proficient sweeper, you may struggle to find someone better than Duckett. He is a master of the shot, be it a firm sweep square of the wicket, a slog sweep over mid-wicket or a reverse sweep.
That also doesn’t mean he’s searching for boundaries, either. The England opener might just be looking to paddle the ball round the corner to rotate the strike.
It makes him extremely hard to bowl at, because he is always being proactive and, just like Root, can essentially access anywhere from cover point, behind square and round to midwicket.
Duckett’s ability against spin was already second to none. However, he recently added an element to his game which, for me, has made him an even better player of the turning ball.
The Nottinghamshire opener is now much more adept at striking down the ground. The 30-year-old has started using his feet to dance down the pitch and look find runs out towards long on and long off.
One thing I like about this addition to Duckett’s arsenal is the fact that he can use it as a way of rotating strike, not just finding boundaries. He’s now able to skip down the pitch and hit to long on or long off as a way of picking up a single.
Not only has this opened up a new area for the England opener in which he can score runs, but it might also bring other favourable shots into play, such as the sweep shot.
The bowling team, obviously, can’t have fielders everywhere. Certainly in white-ball cricket, Duckett’s skill to hit down the ground for boundaries might force an opposition captain to manoeuvre his field, bringing someone up square of the wicket and giving him the chance to sweep. In that sense, he is a master at manipulating the field.
If you want to see an example of just how good Duckett has become at hitting spin downtown, then there is no better place to do so than his aggressive 59 from 31 balls for Notts against Sussex in the County Championship last week.
That was the perfect demonstration of his ability down the ground, and really what inspired me to write this piece.
What a brutal display it was from Duckett, hitting Jack Carson for two fours and a six down the ground using his feet. He also scored a further boundary past mid-off whilst staying in his crease.
It perfectly encapsulated how the Notts and England opener has added to his weaponry against spin. I was something that stood out over the winter that he has transferred to English conditions.
The fact Duckett has been able to add this to his game takes his ability against spin to a whole new level. The 30-year-old is already one of the top batters in the country against the turning ball, but he’s become even better in the last few months.