Conditions on the opening day of this match were perfect for batters leaving the ball outside off-stump – typically, though, Ben Duckett did not leave a single one.
Sri Lanka won the toss, the lights were on, the pitch had some grass on it and there was some movement.
Mark Butcher, a top order left-hander who batted a lot at the Oval, did the pitch report for Sky Sports on Friday and – tongue in cheek – said: ‘If you leave the ball well, you can survive on here.’
By the time he had added 86 runs to his tally, Duckett had swelled his tally of balls played at this series to 197 of 198.
Contrast that to players like Graham Gooch and Michael Atherton, two more predecessors as England openers who would ignore deliveries outside off-stump and make the bowlers bowl in areas they wanted them to.
Ben Duckett starred opening for England on Day One of England’s third Test against Sri Lanka
Duckett is an England like no other as he attacks balls outside off-stump rather than leave them
Or compare Duckett to any other modern Test opener for that matter. There is literally daylight between him and the rest.
His career leave percentage is 1.7%, making him nearly five times as likely to play than Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique, the next man on the list with 8.3%. India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal is next with 8.9%.
Also consider that Dom Sibley and Rory Burns, two of the openers in the previous England regime, boasted 25.3% and 21.5% respectively.
When everything is in the bowlers’ favour, that is exactly how the England team management want him, Duckett to play – putting pressure back on the opposition.
Let’s be honest, Sri Lanka were poor. It was almost like they’d never bowled to a left-hand, right-hand combination before, but Duckett never let them settle at all.
They kept bowling on the legs early on, or even outside the line of the pads, and then when they over-corrected, they were short and wide. Where does Duckett like the ball the most? Short and wide outside off-stump. He put them to the sword.
Later, after the rain delay, he started scooping and upper-cutting fours and sixes. Yes, scooping was his downfall in the end, but so be it, because it is his role in the side.
I like his attitude because there have been plenty of opening batters before him that have come unstuck when not playing shots.
Duckett started scooping and upper-cutting fours and sixes as he grew in confidence at the crease
Duckett’s career leave percentage is 1.7%, making him nearly five times as likely to play than Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique (pictured)
Leaving might be a high percentage choice for others. Not him. He always sticks to his guns.
Facing up to the Dukes ball first up in England can be a real challenge, and Sri Lanka could have bowled fuller at him. Instead, they have fed his best scoring area.
With batsmen, however, your strengths can also be your weaknesses and I expect Australia to play on this in next year’s Ashes. They will bowl at fourth stump, with a deep point, because they know that he hits it there a lot.
Equally, if a player is playing that kind of shot every ball – with the extra bounce on Australian surfaces – they could nick off.
Eventually Duckett was caught behind as he made a slight error with another audacious scoop
But I can’t see him changing. He will give it a go and that aligns with the constant messaging from the England dressing room.
If a player scores runs with a particular shot, they do not want them to put it away if they get out to it. He got out reverse sweeping at Lord’s last week; scooping this. They just want it played better next time.
Sometimes coaches over-talk. One of yesteryear might have asked: why did you play that shot? A hundred was there for the taking.
Not Brendon McCullum, though. They have an ingrained attitude to risk taking and Duckett is at the heart of it.
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