England batsman Ben Duckett has spoken for the first time about the notorious incident when he was suspended and fined for reportedly tipping an alcoholic drink over fast bowler Jimmy Anderson’s head.
Duckett said he was plunged into despair by the incident because “no one believed anything I said.”
He said that in fact the drink was not beer but “vodka and lemonade” – and lightheartedly claimed his antics might have been “applauded” by freewheeling current England coach Brendan McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.
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Duckett was talking ahead of opening the batting for England on day one of the Ashes – where he was partnering Zak Crawley at Edgbaston. Matters did not go terribly well for the 28-year-old though, as he started brightly before Josh Hazlewood found his outside edge and Alex Carey did the rest, Duckett caught for 12.
However, that disappointment would barely register against the despair he felt six years ago when he sent home.
Referring to the incident, he said he was “more grown up” now than he was in 2017 when he was involved in a clash with Anderson in Australia in the 2017 Ashes.
He was punished by former England cricket coach Trevor Baylis after high jinks in a bar in the early hours of the morning in Perth Western Australia when the Aussies won the series by a crushing four nil victory.
Recalling the incident which many thought had ended his England career for good, Duckett said on BBC Radio Four ‘Today’: “In a funny way I think it would have been applauded in this environment.
“I have never really spoken about it but it was a ridiculous situation that got blown out of proportion.
”What everyone thinks is basically not true – first, it wasn’t a beer it was vodka and lemonade I think.
”That was a really difficult time in my life. No one believed anything I said. I had to go away.”
Pressed if he genuinely felt as bad that at the time, Duckett replied: “Oh yes. It was the most awful time in my life.”
He said he thought it could have terminated his England career: “But it made me a stronger person. I am certainly a lot more grown up now.”
At the time, Anderson attempted to dismiss any suggestion of ill-will on the part of Duckett and suggested it was a “silly” incident.
“The incident with Ben Duckett was not malicious and was a bit of a non-event but we understand that in this climate we have to be smarter in the future,’ Anderson said in his Telegraph column.
“I know Australia will use the Duckett incident as a way of goading us, or taking the mickey. Fine. It will probably be funnier than what they have spouted at me so far in this series. They jump on anything to have a go at you so I am expecting a bit of lip. I have no problem with that.
“The frustrating thing is that what was a pretty silly incident would have gone unnoticed before but now puts an unfair question mark over our culture.”
A series of brilliant batting performances has earned Duckett a recall under new coach McCullum, but his first outing at Edgbaston lasted just ten balls before his dismissal.
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