Duckett Hailed as England's Virender Sehwag by Former Coach Amidst Batting Blitz

Former England coach David Lloyd has drawn parallels between Ben Duckett and explosive Indian opener Virender Sehwag, praising Duckett's aggressive batting style.

Ben Duckett executing a shot during a Test match.

In his column for the Daily Mail, Lloyd highlighted Duckett's transformation, stating, "Ben Duckett has come a long way since he poured a drink over Jimmy Anderson on an Ashes tour." He further added, "He is now England’s answer to Virender Sehwag and is opening the batting in your World XI. The reverse sweep is such a natural shot for him. He plays it for fun." Lloyd also noted Duckett's hockey background, suggesting it contributes to his unconventional shot selection. "It’s no surprise to learn he was a good hockey player at school because it’s like a hockey shot."

Duckett's school coach, James Knott, shed light on the development of his signature reverse sweep.

Knott told The Times, “I’d seen better technical ability at that age, but he hit the ball very hard and had already begun reverse-sweeping, which he took from hockey." He further explained how they honed his skills: "We worked on orthodox sweeping and laps, and midway through his time at Stowe, the school acquired a Merlyn spin-bowling machine. In one match, against Brighton College from Australia, Ben went from 100 to 150 entirely through reverse-sweeps."

Knott emphasized the importance of nurturing Duckett's attacking instincts. “Certainly, I didn’t want to take away his attacking flair. And although he had a big hunger for runs, he was not selfish. He wanted to open the batting as school cricket was not going to be much of a challenge if he was coming in at No. 4. That was the best thing to happen to him."

Knott concluded, "I thought he’d have a longer career in the shorter forms of the game and wasn’t sure if he would be successful at Test level, but Ben Stokes and ‘Baz’ McCullum arrived at just the right time for him.”

Duckett's recent innings of 149 played a crucial role in England's successful chase of 371 runs at Leeds.