‘I am not sure India believed they are going to get him out': Steve Harmison on bowling to Ben Duckett
Chasing 373 runs, England opener Ben Duckett scored 149 to help the side win an unlikely run chase. Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison opined that India never believed that they could pick the wicket of Duckett throughout the marathon innings. 'Ben Duckett played wonderfully well. He believed he was going to play a match-winning knock,' Duckett said, speaking to ESPN Cricinfo.
'He (Duckett) believed he was going to score runs. He had a lot of positive intent, like he always does. I am not sure India believed they are going to get him out. I don't think India got their plans right. I don't think they bowled the right lengths and right lines to him. And, he capitalized on it,' he added.
'They didn't have an answer. They didn't have a formula to stop him from scoring. They didn't have a plan and really were rudderless when it came to what their plan was, executing their skill set. Even in the field, they weren't stopping singles. India's bowlers were bowling good balls, but England were getting singles.'
Duckett, for his heroics, was named Man of the Match. Speaking at the Post Match conference, he said, 'In that period [first session], it was really important that Zak and I got through without losing any wickets. It was pretty clear to us this morning. If we batted for the whole day [at the tempo that] we normally do, we'd probably get the total, so we didn't overthink anything. Certainly, we had to get through Jasprit's first spell and that new ball, and from there on, we were just playing our natural games.'
Duckett's batting coach James Knott from his school days at Stowe school had told this newspaper about the origin of that reverse sweep. 'Ben played hockey and rugby, as well as cricket from a young age at Winchester House Prep School and then throughout his time at Stowe. In hockey, he was a great exponent of reverse hitting the ball and could already play the reverse sweep and switch hit when he arrived at Stowe. We worked more on the orthodox sweep and the paddle sweep which he didn't play as much,' the coach had told The Indian Express.
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