Amid the heat and dust of the just-concluded Ashes 2023, where England and Australia produced an electrifying 2-2 draw, England's opener Ben Duckett has presented a differing viewpoint from the widely reported media narrative. With the hosts staging a remarkable comeback after a 0-2 trail, the series witnessed its fair share of on-field controversies, notably beginning with Jonny Bairstow's runout. Yet, according to Duckett, the media's depiction of the series' animosities was disproportionately amplified.
In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Duckett delved into the realities of on-pitch interactions during the Ashes, asserting that the reported sledging and confrontations were more a media creation than actual incidents. He stated, "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."
England's performance against the celebrated Australian pacers stood out, particularly from the openers. While Zak Crawley emerged as the series' top-scorer for England, Duckett's resilience against the likes of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc was commendable. Recounting an anecdote from a game, Duckett illuminated the lighter side of these intense encounters. He recalled, "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'."
As the cricketing world recovers from the Ashes' adrenaline, England's focus will soon shift to their upcoming series against India in January 2025. Fans are especially excited as Rishabh Pant is anticipated to return for that series.
