In a scathing outburst, legendary English cricketer Sir Geoffrey Boycott has sparked a heated debate by saying that Ben Duckett is no match for the legendary Sir Viv Richards.
He pointed out that Ben Duckett tries to hit the ball all over the place like Richards. Boycott said Duckett is not as special a talent as the legendary Caribbean batsman was after his promising but inconsistent performances at the top of the order for England in the recent Test series against Sri Lanka and the West Indies at home.
Geoffrey Boycott calls Ben Duckett’s approach a poor imitation of Viv Richards’ style
Ben Duckett has so far amassed 1,810 runs at an average of 42.09 in 46 innings, including three centuries. Despite these numbers, Boycott said Duckett’s style was merely an imitation of Richards rather than a true reflection of the West Indies icon’s prowess.
Boycott believes Duckett’s aggressive style, with a series of quirky shots, lacks the finesse and consistency of Richards’ iconic style. Surprisingly, Boycott compared the England star’s batting to a style similar to that of Brendon McCullum, who he describes as unpredictable, with some of his spectacular shots leading to his reckless dismissals.
Viv was special, Ben Duckett was not: Boycott
He stressed that the star batsman has been following the head Test coach perfectly. To add fuel to the fire, the former England cricketer also highlighted Ben Duckett’s recent struggles, pointing out that he failed to score a century in the Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka. He managed only three half-centuries, with a top score of 86.
Geoffrey Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph: “Ben Duckett is a perfect example of the McCullum style. When he gets runs, he does so with quick drives, short drives and sweeps. Other times he puts himself out of action with silly shots you can’t believe he tried. He tries to play like a left-handed Viv Richards, diverting bowlers to all parts of the field. Viv was special, Ben is not.”
Like Kevin Pietersen, Harry Brook has charisma: Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott’s comments also extend to Harry Brook, as he suggested the young English talent needs to adapt his game to counter changing bowling strategies. While Boycott admires Brook’s potential, he warned that bowlers will increasingly exploit weaknesses in his technique.
Geoffrey Boycott explained: “Harry Brook has had a meteoric rise. At his best, he has a touch of Kevin Pietersen about him, as he improvises with great power and pace. Like Kevin, he has charisma. But while Harry has been racking up runs, teams will have been looking for ways to take him out.”
He concluded by saying: “Due to video analysis, teams are studying every dismissal and in the future, more and more players will bowl out at the fourth and fifth stumps to test their patience. Sri Lanka is the last to wait for it to be bowled out on its own.”
Notably, England will now focus on white-ball cricket as they host Australia in a three-match T20I and three-match ODI series. The white-ball series will begin on September 11 in Southampton.