NZ vs ENG: Ben Duckett slams fifty in Day-Night Test
England opener Ben Duckett slammed a quick-fire half-century in the ongoing opening Test versus New Zealand. The left-handed batter was at his destructive best as he ended up scoring 84 off just 68 deliveries, a knock was studded with 14 boundaries. As the ongoing contest is a Day-Night affair, Duckett had to tackle the new pink cherry. Here we look at his stats.
Another fiery knock from Duckett
NZ won the toss and put England bat first at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. The Brits were off to a poor start with opener Zak Crawley (4) perishing cheaply. Nevertheless, Duckett joined forces with Ollie Pope (42) and the duo added 99 runs for the second wicket. Duckett, who brought his fifty off just 36 balls, eventually fell prey to debutant pacer Blair Tickner.
A look at his Test career
Duckett now has 551 runs from eight Tests at an average of 42.38 (SR: 87.32). The tally includes one century and five half-centuries. Before the Pakistan series in 2022, Duckett played his last Test in 2016. He was dropped in 2017 during the Ashes after pouring a drink over James Anderson. Duckett, nevertheless, has bounced back and justified his selection with some incredible performances.
Sensational run in 2022
Duckett has been on a roll in red-ball cricket lately. He notched 1,012 runs in just 10 games in last year's County Championship Division Two. Both his average and strike rate were over 70. The tally includes five fifties and three hundreds (Best score: 241).
Sensational comeback to Test cricket
As mentioned, the Pakistan tour last year marked Duckett's comeback to England whites. The southpaw made optimum utilization of the opportunity and mustered 357 runs in three Tests at 71.40 (50s: 3, 100: 1). Notably, he struck at 95.71. Only his fellow teammate Harry Brook (468) tallied more runs in the series. Duckett's brilliance guided England to a historic 3-0 triumph.
His scores after returning to England colors
107(110), 0(1), 63(49), 79(98), 26(37), 82*(78), and now 84(68) are Duckett's last seven scores since his comeback to Test cricket. He averages a stellar 73.5 after returning to England whites with his strike rate being 100.
How has the game proceeded?
While Duckett missed out on his second Test ton, Pope (42) threw away his start. Veteran batter Joe Root (14) and skipper Ben Stokes (19) also failed to make substantial contributions. Nevertheless, batting sensation Harry Brook led England's fightback with a fiery half-century. He is being well supported by wicketkeeper-batter Ben Foakes. Meanwhile, England were 279/5 after the second session on Day 1.
