Ashes 2023: Ben Duckett missed out on his maiden Ashes century on day two of the second Test at Lord’s, falling for 98 off 134 balls. The left-hander had been in fine form, hitting nine fours and looking set for a big score before he top-edged a pull shot off Josh Hazlewood to David Warner at deep fine leg.
Duckett’s dismissal was a blow to England, who were looking to build on a solid start to their innings. However, they were able to recover thanks to a half-century partnership between Ben Stokes and Harry Brook. Stokes scored 45 not out off 75 balls, while Brook was unbeaten on 45 off 70 balls as England closed on 278 for four at stumps, still 138 runs behind Australia’s first innings total.
Here are some additional details about Ben Duckett’s innings:
- He faced 134 balls and hit nine fours.
- He was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood for 98 off a top-edge pull shot that was caught by David Warner at deep fine leg.
- His innings helped England to reach 278 for four at stumps, still 138 runs behind Australia’s first innings total.
- He will have another chance to score a century in the third Test, which starts at Headingley on Wednesday.
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According to the Mirror, the England opener said “I’m certainly not disappointed with the shot, not at all. I would have been more gutted if I had gone into my shell. “That shot has got me plenty of runs in my career and that’s how it got me out. I would have been disappointed if I’d gone away from my natural game, I’d be more frustrated,”
He talked about his shot choice as being one of the most efficient ones in terms of him getting runs.
“Ten meters either side (of Warner) and I’ve got a hundred. It’s a shot I play and a shot I’ve scored plenty of runs with in my career.”
He also talked about the risks of trying to play safe in such situations and the perspective of reliability on his regular picks.
“I would have been gutted with myself if I’d gone away from it, gone into my shell and gloved one behind. For three or four overs before that I felt so comfortable hitting it down to fine leg, or just behind square for one.”