“It was a tough period for me” – Ben Duckett eager to put difficult winter behind him ahead of County Championship stint

Ben Duckett reaffirmed he has made the “right decision” to withdraw from the upcoming Indian Premier League and instead focus on rediscovering his form for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship ahead of the international summer.

Duckett was set to feature in the IPL for the first time after he was signed by Delhi Capitals in the auction but now faces a two-year ban from the lucrative franchise tournament as he has instead prioritised domestic red-ball action to help prolong his England career.

“I obviously made the big decision myself to stay here, which is the right decision”, Duckett said speaking at Nottinghamshire’s Media Day.

“I’ve not played a lot of cricket for Notts over the past few years and I think it will be refreshing working with Mooresy [Peter Moores] and people who know my game inside out”.

The left-hander endured a torrid Ashes series, averaging 20.20 in 10 Test innings with a top score of 42, as well as being at the centre of off-field controversy, before being an unused member of the T20 World Cup squad in India.

“It was a long stint, I’m still processing it a little bit. It was certainly a long winter and as tough as you can get”. When asked about when professional standards have slipped: “I’ve held my hands up since then and it’s not something that any professional sportsman should be doing. This block is important to me in terms of fitness, I definitely want to make that a priority moving forward”.

“To not do well in an Ashes and then not play in a World Cup was tricky but there are lots of learnings to take forward that hopefully make me stronger and better for what’s to come”.

Duckett is now set to feature for Nottinghamshire in the early rounds of the new County Championship season, having only made four appearances over the past two seasons for the East Midlands side who were Division One champions in 2025.

“For me it’s pretty black and white, I just want to go and score runs for Notts and perform to the best of my ability”.

“I can’t promise I will average 75 for Notts in these games but giving everything I can over this little block and getting my game in a really good place, and just see where we go from there”.

The 31-year-old has been an all-format regular at the top of the order for England over recent years but a disappointing run of form, coupled with a proposed stronger relationship between the England hierarchy and the county game, has put a number of positions in the spotlight ahead of the new domestic season.

On his place in the England side, he revealed no reassurances have been made but plans to speak with Brendon McCullum in the coming weeks:

“We’ll see, I don’t know. Those discussions weren’t to be had (immediately after a World Cup)”.

“I genuinely don’t know whether I will be (in the Test XI this summer), I will just do everything I can over the next four or five weeks to make sure I’m in the best shape of my life”.

Duckett also expressed pride at his international career.

“If you had said four years ago that by the end of the Ashes, I’d be averaging 40 I would’ve snapped your hand off for it and not believed you. Ultimately I’ve had a bad series, I didn’t want it to go that way but I do feel like I’ve achieved some things in an England shirt that I never thought I would do”.

“Pulling out of the IPL, turning down a good chunk of money, turning down the opportunity to play with some of the best players in the world, against some of the best players in the world, to be here playing for Notts, I think that is a good step in the right direction for how much playing cricket for England means to me”.

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