Ben Duckett says there is “no excuse” for his off-field mistakes against the Ashes and is determined to become more professional in order to prolong his career in England.
Video emerged of Duckett appearing drunk during England’s beach break in Noosa midway through the series, one of a number of drink-related problems that have plagued the team this winter.
In the Australian tournament, Duckett only averaged 20.20 points on the field, with a top score of 42, which led to a 4-1 defeat for the tourist team, but he did not play in the England national team that advanced to the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
The 31-year-old has since terminated his IPL contract with Delhi Capitals and will instead play red-ball cricket for Nottinghamshire ahead of the first Test of the summer against New Zealand from June 4.
I think it was great for my game because IPL is the best franchise tournament in the world and you play against the best players around. But I have to look at myself and what my priorities are, and that is playing cricket for England. We hope that trying to score red ball runs will help later in the summer.
Ben Duckett talks about why he quit IPL
Asked about the difficult Ashes tour, Duckett told Sky Sports News: “I’ve got to deal with the public eye better.
“I’ve spent probably a week at home since October, so it may be difficult, but that in no way excuses my actions.
“When I look back at the World Cup and look back at my winter, I’m not getting any younger and I don’t want to get upset.
“When my England career ends, I hope it’s because of goals conceded and not because of injury.
“It’s important to have a long career and be as healthy as possible so that part of my game is never in question.”
Speaking specifically about his lack of appearances in the Ashes, Duckett said: “I’m very disappointed with the way I’ve gone. It hasn’t been the campaign I expected, but it’s not something I can worry about too much right now.”
“There’s a lot of things I can focus on, but I can also focus on raising my hand and saying to my opponent, ‘Well played.’
“It was very tough and the Australian bowling unit was incredibly difficult from start to finish. We had good touches throughout, but we just couldn’t get any big scores.”
“We have made Test cricket exciting. Now we need results.”
Words like “ruthless” and “ruthless” were used by England managing director Rob Key when he spoke to reporters about the future of the team after their reckless stroke cost them many promising Ashes positions.
Duckett said England needed to “tighten up” but the team must still maintain a positive mindset.
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Duckett outlines what he hopes to see from England this summer and why consistency will be key
He added: “We’ve said we want to make Test cricket exciting again and get kids watching it again and we’ve done that.”
“Now it’s important to deliver results, win more consistently and become one of the best teams in the world.
“I think we have to stick to what works for us and strengthen in areas like shutouts and winning more games.
“We have players who have been selected to suit the way we play and speaking for myself, I am at my best when I am positive and try to put pressure on.
“I know that sometimes it doesn’t work, but I think if you try to reinvent your game at this age, your career will only go down, not up.”
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