England opener Ben Duckett has cautioned the Australian team of the visiting skipper Ben Stokes’ preparation ahead of the Ashes 2025-26. With more than a week to go for Ashes opener at Perth Stadium, Duckett revealed that Stokes has been training like a beast, bowling two spells and batting for a couple of hours.
"I can only say we've been out here for a few days and he's been in beast mode," Duckett said on Willow Talk podcast. "He has been running, bowling two spells, batting for two hours. The way he trains and stuff these days is something that I've never seen before.”
Stokes was ruled out of the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 due to a shoulder injury. England ended up losing the thrilling contest at Kennington Oval, London. Duckett hopes that his skipper stays fit for the entirety of the series, especially for his bowling exploits.
"He's obviously probably the most important man in this side when he's bowling. So hopefully he stays fit for all five tests and he's bowling in all of them because he's crucial for us," Duckett said.
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Duckett on Cummins’ absence being an ‘advantage’
Meanwhile, Australia will be without their captain Pat Cummins for the first Test. He is hopeful of playing the second Test but there is no confirmation as he started bowling in the nets recently and will gradually increase his workload.
Duckett said that Cummins not playing the Ashes opener is an advantage for England. However, the southpaw wants to play against the best and does not want him to miss the series.
"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, I'm an opening batter and 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."
Duckett’s Test record vs Australia
Duckett is yet to play a Test in Australia. He was part of England's home Ashes in 2023. From nine innings, he scored 321 runs at an average of 35.66, featuring two fifties. He will be looking to improve his record against Australia.