The Nottinghamshire left-hander, who is without a central contract, has prioritised his international career this winter but is just glad to have the decision to make after three-and-a-half years on the fringes
Ben Duckett hopes to return to the overseas T20 circuit next winter but has no regrets over his decision to commit to England in recent months.
The left-hander has returned to the side in all three formats after three-and-a-half years on the fringes.
A desire to make the most of the opportunity saw him cancel a stint in the International League T20 with Desert Vipers before the South Africa ODIs, and skip the ongoing Pakistan Super League which clashes with the Bangladesh T20Is.
Without a central contract for the time being, Duckett would have been permitted to play in both competitions. Indeed, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson and Alex Hales all opted for PSL spells instead of travelling to Bangladesh.
Duckett in action for Quetta Gladiators in last season's PSL (ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)
He missed the ODI series victory over The Tigers due to the matches immediately following the second New Zealand Test but returned to England action in the first T20I in Chattogram on Thursday (March 9).
"It's now the focus on I've got the chance to play potentially all three formats for England," he said.
"That's going to be my focus for as long as I'm in the squad.
"You can play in all these leagues around the world in a few years' time but the time right now, I'm solely focused on playing as much for England as I can."
Forty-two months since his last outing - a one-off T20I against Pakistan in May 2019 - Duckett has seldom had a decision to make over his schedule.
Cardiff in 2019 against Pakistan was Duckett's last international outing before his winter recall (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Should England's fixture list allow - they tour West Indies in December for eight white-ball matches and are in India for five Tests between January and March 2024 - the 28-year-old would like to return to the overseas circuit.
"Don't get me wrong, if I've got a month next winter, and I'm getting offered a lot of money, I'm probably going to go and play in it, as most of us would," he added.
"I'd rather play cricket and especially playing in different countries and learning different things.
"But being able to actually make decisions on this is something I wouldn't have thought I'd have had the opportunity to do two years ago."
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.