England opener Ben Duckett looked in fine form in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge. He struggled to get going in the three-match series against New Zealand, and it was concerning, given that England will host India in the summer and play the Ashes later in the year in Australia. Duckett’s form thus matters for the England team, as they need a good start in the longest format, particularly in Australia.
Against Zimbabwe, Duckett played a scintillating knock, completing his century in the same number of balls. The visiting team couldn’t take advantage of the overcast conditions as both England openers decimated the Zimbabwe bowlers. Duckett, particularly, played an aggressive brand of cricket, something he is known for and that will give the player much-needed confidence ahead of the five-match series against India, starting June 20.
His opening partner, Zack Crawley, scored a half-century and will be hoping to reach the three-digit mark. He, however, had a much conservative approach in comparison to Duckett. However, both players had a great outing in the middle and will be hoping to keep up with the same momentum.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, couldn’t hang on to their chances. They created a few opportunities but couldn’t capitalise on them - something that the team needs to address. England, in the meantime, will be hoping to post a massive total on the board and push for a follow-on. However, their bowling unit is slightly inexperienced, and it needs to be seen if they can bundle Zimbabwe early.
Teams:
Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Craig Ervine (c), Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Wessly Madhevere, Tafadzwa Tsiga (wk), Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Tanaka Chivanga, Victor Nyauchi
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Sam Cook, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir