Ben Duckett slams joint third-fastest Test fifty for England: Stats
England opener Ben Duckett played a power-packed knock on Day 1 of the 2nd Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Duckett hammered a 59-ball 71 after the Caribbeans put England in to bat. He shared a century-plus stand with Ollie Pope following Zak Crawley's early departure in the very first over. Notably, Duckett smashed the joint third-fastest Test fifty for England.
Duckett off to a flier
West Indies started well as Alzarri Joseph dismissed Crawley on the match's third ball. However, Duckett smashed Jayden Seales for four successive boundaries in the very next over. Duckett and Pope were on fire thereafter, with England reaching the 50-run mark in just 4.2 overs. They took England past 100, having added a 105-run stand for the second wicket.
Duckett joins Botham and Bairstow
Duckett completed his half-century off 32 balls, the joint third-fastest for England in Test cricket along with Ian Botham (vs New Zealand, The Oval, 1986). Notably, Botham leads this list with a 28-ball fifty against India in Delhi in 1981. Jonny Bairstow hammered a fifty off 30 balls against New Zealand in the 2022 Headingley Test.
Duckett smashes a 59-ball 71
Shamar Joseph gave WI their second breakthrough in the form of Duckett. The England opener eventually fell for a 59-ball 71, a knock laced with as many as 14 fours. He struck at a staggering 120.34.
Duckett attains these feats
Duckett also reached a couple of landmarks on Day 1 at Trent Bridge. With his 62nd run, the England opener completed 10,000 runs in First-Class cricket. He also completed 1,500 Test runs during the course of his knock. Notably, Duckett has smashed three tons and eight half-centuries in the format so far. As per ESPNcricinfo, Duckett has over 570 Test runs at home.
Fastest-ever team fifty in Test cricket
As per ESPNcricinfo, England's 4.2-over fifty is now the fastest for a team in Test cricket. The Englishmen broke their own record as they hammered one in 4.3 overs against South Africa in the 1994 Oval Test.
