Professionalism a priority after Ashes - Duckett

Nottinghamshire opener Ben Duckett has pledged to make professionalism the “priority” of his summer after an Ashes campaign in which off-field lapses attracted as much attention as England’s on-field struggles.

Australia retained the urn with a 4-1 victory, yet headlines were dominated by reports of heavy drinking during a mid-series break in Noosa. A social-media clip that appeared to show Duckett inebriated prompted the 31-year-old to concede his conduct “fell below the required standard”.

“If we’re winning that series, it’s probably not news and no one cares,” Duckett said. “But you shouldn’t be putting yourself in a position like that—any human being, let alone a professional sportsman.”

The left-hander, who made his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2016, has already taken action, withdrawing from the Indian Premier League to concentrate on early-season County Championship fixtures for Nottinghamshire. He and team-mate Josh Tongue will miss the season opener against Somerset on 3 April but are expected to return for the visit of Glamorgan the following week.

Duckett plans to speak with England coach Brendon McCullum in the coming fortnight but admits he “does not know” whether he will be in the XI for June’s first Test against New Zealand. His winter returns—202 runs at 20.20 in the Ashes and only one half-century in 16 innings across all formats—have left his place under scrutiny.

The batter, famously suspended for pouring a drink over James Anderson during the 2017-18 Ashes Lions tour, accepts professionalism is an area he has “struggled with throughout my career” and wants fitness and mindset to secure his England future.

“I’ll do everything I can over the next four or five weeks to make sure I’m in the best shape of my life,” he said. “I can’t promise I’ll average 75 for Notts, but giving everything I can in this little block and just see where we go from there.”