I don’t think I got sledged once in the whole series, says Ben Duckett on Australia in the Ashes

London: England opener Ben Duckett revealed that he wasn’t sledged even once by the Australian cricketers during this year’s Ashes series which ended in a 2-2 draw. He added that the reality on the ground was completely different, as compared to the hype created by the media.

“I actually feel it’s completely overhyped. Most of the back and forth was just niggle in the media. On the field, they are not niggly at all. I hope they don’t mind me saying this but they are a bunch of nice guys who are very good at cricket. I don’t think I got sledged once in the whole series,” Duckett was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

Though there were no sledges for him from the Australians, Duckett recalled a friendly banter with opposition skipper Pat Cummins during the second Test at Lord’s.

“Cummins bowled me a ball down the slope at Lord’s and I definitely played and missed. He says ‘was that a leave?’ I asked what he reckoned, and he said ‘definitely’.”

“When he was bowling bumpers, I was doing a bit of a Steve Smith trigger. He pitched one up and I left it, and he said: ‘Don’t ruin the percentage now Ducky’. I will only normally leave one or two innings, but they had a deep point out and they were bowling pace, you just had to get bat on the ball and get down the other end.”

England’s next Test assignment is a five-match series trip to India from January 25 to March 11 next year, with Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamshala being the venues.

Duckett said he understood that the pitches will be different in India as compared to England, but he insisted that he will stick to his strengths and his now-established opening partnership with Zak Crawley.

“I had two low scores at Edgbaston, when I was nervous in the first innings, and a few years ago I would have panicked about nicking off twice. But I spoke to the coaches, and they told me to go harder. I did and it worked. So, I don’t think I will be practising those leaves any more ahead of India, especially as so much spin will be bowled there.”

“It’s nice that mine and Zak’s partnership has clicked. My game has come on thanks to him, and I think he’d maybe say the same. It’s obvious things, with the lengths that bowlers are having to find. I am cutting the same ball he would drive through the covers.”

“It’ll be different for us in India, but I will stick to my strengths. I’m not going to spend six months working on my forward defence. I know how I can be successful over there, and that’s trying to put pressure back on the bowlers,” he concluded.

–IANS