Breaking his Duckett: Notts batsman Ben reminds us all what he's capable of against Lancashire

SAM DALLING: The year 2016 feels like a lifetime ago for most. For Duckett is was the highlight of a career that’s promised much and delivered... well, not exactly nothing, but equally not the spoils he might have hoped for

Nottinghamshire vs Lancashire scorecard

Well played, Ben Duckett: a 20th triple-figure score in the professional game and still shy of his 26th birthday.

Together with Ben Slater he put Nottinghamshire in a strong position at the end of the first day of their Bob Willis Trophy clash with Lancashire.

Technically he’s in the away side this weekend but the fixture was switched to Trent Bridge to ensure Emirates Old Trafford remains bio-secure (whatever that means).

The year 2016 feels like a lifetime ago for most. For Duckett is was the highlight of a career that’s promised much and delivered... well, not exactly nothing, but equally not the spoils he might have hoped for.

Cast your mind back to that summer: everything the left-hander touched to gold, or runs at least, all 2,706 of them.

He started the season as he meant to go on, 282 not out against Sussex, and from that day just kept batting.

An average nudging 60 in first-class cricket and one north of that in the white-ball stuff, his July was quite majestic.

He racked up another double hundred, for England Lions against Sri Lanka, during which he put on a quite ridiculous 367 with Daniel Bell-Drummond for the second wicket.

Duckett’s 220 was the highest score made for the Lions and the partnership remains the joint second-highest in List A cricket. Marlon Samuels and Chris Gayle went five runs better in an ODI against Zimbabwe a few years previously.

His tally come the end of that was an eye-watering 650 List A runs. The only way was up.

^{Ben Duckett made a century on day one against Lancashire}

At the time he was a Northamptonshire player and his exploits helped the side win the T20 competition that year. Once again, the plucky underdogs showing that the sum really can be greater than its parts.

Inevitably, he made the full England squad. It was no less than he deserved.

He featured in four Tests, against India and Bangladesh, that winter as well as three ODIs against the latter.

He hardly failed - three half-centuries a decent return - and it was set up for him to kick on.

But it hasn’t quite happened. He upped sticks and moved to Trent Bridge at the back end of the 2018 campaign – a difficult year - and, to put it bluntly, there’s not been much to write home about since.

Yes, he made his T20I debut last summer and was part of the warm-up squads for the recent Ireland side, but he hasn’t added to his Test or ODI cap tally.

All this needs to be put into some context though.

He was only 21 during his best year to date and you don’t become the only man to win the PCA double – young player and the outright award – without a great deal of talent.

At his explosive best, he is a joy to watch. The Wisden Almanack has described him as batting with panache.

He’s also a handy gloveman. Tom Moores is above him in the pecking order at the moment but Duckett will be ready to stand in if required.

Then there’s the Notts factor to take into account. 

For various reasons the county has lost Michael Lumb, James Taylor, Brendan Taylor and Chris Read in recent years. Big boots to fill and the “spine” of the team fractured.

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But the Trent Bridge outfit had an abysmal red-ball campaign last year. They were relegated, failing to register a single victory and finishing rock bottom of the top-tier by 64 points.

Duckett did okay in his first full campaign with 630 runs at 27 but no one around him fared much better. 

He’d been signed at around the same time as Slater and Joe Clarke as the club searched for a new dawn. All of them struggled, although Slater also registered a triple-figure score today.

It’s been an odd campaign so far for him; a two-game loan stint at Leicestershire saw him rack up a big hundred followed by a pair. 

Clarke, too, was not out overnight and there have been promising signs from former England man Haseeb Hameed this month.

The opener unfurled a glorious cover drive for the shot of the day and registered a pair of 50s in round one.

Teams go in cycles and Notts could be about to start a new one. This top four is talented and could make waves. First task? Get out of Division Two next year.

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