The conditions on the opening day of this match were perfect for batsmen to leave the ball outside the off-stump, although as usual Ben Duckett did not leave one.
Sri Lanka won the toss, the lights were on, the pitch had some grass 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 wryly said: “If you leave the ball well, you can survive here.”
By the time he added 86 runs to his tally, Duckett had increased his tally of balls played in this series to 197 from 198.
Contrast this with players like Graham Gooch and Michael Atherton, two other predecessors as England openers who ignored deliveries outside the off-stump and made bowlers bowl in the areas they wanted.
Ben Duckett was England’s star opener on day one of England’s third Test against Sri Lanka
Duckett is an England player like no other, as he attacks balls outside the off-stump rather than leaving them.
Or if you compare Duckett to any other modern Test opener, there is literally a world of difference between him and the rest.
His career strike rate is 1.7%, giving him almost five times more chance of playing than Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique, the next man on the list at 8.3%. India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal is next at 8.9%.
Consider also that Dom Sibley and Rory Burns, two of the openers in the previous England regime, had 25.3% and 21.5% respectively.
When everything is in the bowlers’ favour, that is exactly how the England team management wants him, Duckett, to play: by putting pressure on the opposition.
Let’s be honest, Sri Lanka bowled poorly. It was almost as if they had never bowled a left-handed and right-handed combination before, but Duckett never let them settle.
At first they kept bowling with their legs, or even outside the line of the pads, and then when they corrected too much they went short and wide. Where does Duckett like the ball best? Short and wide outside the off-stump. He put them through their paces.
Later, after the rain delay, he started serving and doing uppercuts number four and six. Yes, serving was his downfall in the end, but so be it, because it’s his role on the team.
I like his attitude because there have been a lot of starting hitters before him who have stagnated when they weren’t throwing pitches.
Duckett began serving and throwing uppercuts four and six as he gained confidence in the crease.
Duckett’s career strike percentage is 1.7%, giving him almost five times more chances to play than Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique (pictured)
For others, leaving may be a decision with a high percentage of success, but not for him. He always stands firm in his position.
Facing the Dukes ball on his first delivery in England can be a real challenge, and Sri Lanka could have bowled him fuller. Instead, they have given him their best scoring area.
However, with batsmen, your strengths can also be your weaknesses and I expect Australia to play to this in next year’s Ashes. They will bowl at fourth stump, at deep point, because they know he hits it there very often.
Likewise, if a player takes that type of shot with every ball (with the extra bounce on Australian surfaces), he might miss.
Duckett was eventually caught from behind when he made a small mistake with another bold shovel.
But I don’t think he’s going to change. He’ll try and that’s in keeping with the constant message coming from the England dressing room.
If a player scores runs with a particular shot, they don’t want him to get it if it gets into the end zone. Last week at Lord’s he got it out of the end zone and won this one. They just want him to play it better next time.
Sometimes coaches talk too much. An old-timer might have asked: why did you take that shot? There were a hundred points available.
But that’s not the case for Brendon McCullum. They have a deep-rooted attitude towards risk-taking and Duckett is at the centre of that attitude.
