DUCKETT HAS INDIA'S NUMBER

England's opener is emerging as one of the hardest players to bowl at - in any format.

Cricket is a game of numbers, as we all know. Some numbers are special. 501, 499, 19-90, 99.94, 400*, and 333 are ones that immediately stand out. Some grounds are associated with a particular number. 158 was the score Kevin Pietersen made in his famous Ashes heist at the Oval in 2005. Uncannily it was also the number Basil d’OIiveira scored at the Oval in 1968 which ultimately clinched him a place in England’s touring team to South Africa – and the rest is history. (158 was also the score Brendon McCullum made in the first ever IPL match, to launch the tournament in a blaze of pyrotechnics from which the competition has never looked back.)

And then we have Headingley’s relationship with 149. It was of course where Ian Botham carried out his famous assault on the Aussies in 1981 (he made an unbeaten 149 to set Australia 118 to win after England had been made to follow on.) It was also the amount Pietersen lashed off the South African attack (including Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis ) at Leeds in 2012, though the game is probably more famous for what KP allegedly called his captain Andrew Strauss on a text to his South African mates.

Now we have Ben Duckett’s brilliant 149 as the cornerstone of a remarkable 371 runchase yesterday at Headingley, which we assess on the latest Analyst podcast. It was the first time a team had lost a match after scoring five individual hundreds - not just in Test cricket but ALL first class cricket. It is comfortably the finest innings Duckett has played, a superbly constructed piece of batting art, understanding the canvas (the pitch) and using delicate brush strokes at appropriate points (eg against Bumrah) and more forceful or creative ones at other times. His reverse sweeping against Jadeja was astonishing. As with KP’s best innings, it was very avant garde, more Picasso where KL Rahul’s earlier century for India was pure Renoir. His Test average (43.68) is now better than seasoned England openers of recent vintage - Atherton, Strauss and Gooch, and neck and neck with Trescothick.

But where does Duckett’s innings rank in England’s Hall of Fame? After Ben Stokes extraordinary 135 not out in the remarkable one wicket win at Headingley in 2019, I did an evaluation (out of 50) of what I considered to be the finest innings played by England batsmen - in my lifetime - using five criteria:

1. degree of difficulty - calculated by the standard of the opponent’s bowling, quality of the pitch and the match situation;

2. match/series impact - an index of the critical state of the match/series at the start (and end) of the innings;

3. percentage of team runs that the batsman scored;

4. the control the batsman exhibited during the innings - effectively the lack of chances offered (the higher the figure the more secure the innings);

5. the range and versatility of the innings.

By my calculation Duckett just nudges out Mark Butcher’s barnstorming 173 not out against Australia in 2001 (which was at no5.). It still means four of England’s top five innings were played at Headingley.

5. Ben Duckett – 149 v India, Headingley 2025

Duckett has come of age with this brilliantly constructed innings in England’s second highest ever run chase of 371. The more fluent partner in an opening stand of 188 with Zak Crawley, seeing off Bumrah’s new ball threat, rotating the strike intelligently, never looking flustered and even leaving the odd ball. The way he repetitively reverse swept Ravi Jadeja was not only audacious but devastating. Jadeja had nowhere to bowl. Duckett gave one difficult chance on 97, registered his sixth Test hundred and continued on to 149. Once he was out (at 253) England needed only 118 more and had 40 overs to get them in and seven wickets in hand.

Degree of difficulty 7. (good attack but flatish pitch except against Jadeja)

Match/series impact 8. (excellent run chase to give England 1-0 lead)

Percentage of team runs (40%) 6

Control index (chance-free = 10) 8. (dropped once on 97)

Range and versatility 8 (very fluent innings, audacious sweeping)

TOTAL 37

4. Ian Botham 149* v Australia, Headingley 1981

After a pair in the previous test at Lord’s, Botham resigned the England captaincy. England were one down in the series and faced with almost inevitable defeat at Headingley having been asked to follow on 227 behind Australia on first innings and collapsed to 135-7 in their second with Botham and Graham Dilley at the wicket. Dilley lashed a few drives through the offside and that seemed to galvanise Botham who laid into Australia’s three pronged seam attack of Terry Alderman, Dennis Lillee and Geoff Lawson. He got lucky with a few mishits which landed safely but also unleashed some meaty back-foot drives and slashes and planted Alderman for six over long-on prompting Richie Benaud’s famous line ‘it’s gone into the confectionary stall and out again.’ His swashbuckling partnership of 117 with Dilley earned England a narrow lead which swelled to 129 by the time last-man Bob Willis was out leaving Botham 149 not out (from 148 balls.) Willis seized an amazing victory with his 8-43, only the second time in test history that a team had won having followed on.

Degree of difficulty 9 (England win was 500-1 before Botham’s intervention)

Match impact 9. (levelled the series and England went on to win it)

Percentage of team runs (41%) 6

Control index 6. (a bit streaky at times, a few lucky breaks)

Range and versatility 8. (mixed orthodox aggression with big hitting)

TOTAL 38

3. Kevin Pietersen 186 v India at Mumbai 2012

England were hammered in the first test in Ahmedhabad and Kevin Pietersen looked completely at sea against India’s spinners. Coming in at 68-2 in Mumbai after india had been bowled out for 327 on a pitch that was already turning, he caressed his first ball through the covers for four off Harbhajan Singh and there was an immediate certainty about his stroke play. He seized on anything short from the spinners and memorably slog swept his tormentor from the first test Pragyan Ojha over the square leg fence. He sped to a 63 ball fifty, and, during a 206 run partnership with the redoubtable Alastair Cook, brought up his hundred with a reverse sweep. Afterwards he decimated the bowling with audacious shots, the most spectacular a booming six over extra cover against the off spin of Ravi Ashwin. The innings was regarded as the most destructive ever played by a visiting batsmen in india. It paved the way for England’s 10 wicket win.

Degree of difficulty 8 (pitch was spinning but Cook laid a good foundation

Match impact 7 (set up victory but bowlers secured it)

Percentage of team runs (45%) 7

Control index 9 (gave one half chance on 62)

Range and versatility 9 (the innings was laden with KP’s genius and bravado)

TOTAL 40

2. Graham Gooch 154* v West Indies at Headingley 1991

England had not beaten West Indies in a home test for 22 years when Gooch strode out to launch England’s second innings in the first test at Headingley with a narrow lead of 25. On a spiteful surface the fearsome West Indies pace attack of Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Patrick Patterson soon reduced England to 38-3. Mark Ramprakash, playing his first test, stuck around for over two hours while Gooch commanded the scene, defending stoutly, cutting and pulling courageously and driving imperiously when given the chance. Wickets (and drizzle) were falling steadily but Gooch rejected the chance to go off for bad light and found a useful ally in the number 8 Derek Pringle with whom he added 98. The innings eventually folded but Gooch remained indomitable to the end, resisting for seven and a half hours for his 154 not out without giving a chance. England’s next highest scorer made 27. England won the test by 115 runs and drew a series against the all-conquering west indies for the first time since 1974.

Degree of difficulty 9 (superb attack, treacherous pitch)

Match impact 8 (secured England match-winning lead)

Percentage of team runs (61%) 9

Control index 9 (a few close lbw calls but no DRS of course)

Range and versatility 7.5 (great concentration, put the bad ball away)

TOTAL 42.5

1. Ben Stokes 135* v Australia at Headingley, 2019

England’s pathetic 67 all out in the first innings of the Leeds test meant chasing an English record 359 in the fourth innings against Australia’s voracious attack was a long shot to say the least. Australia had eight fingers on the Ashes. After the usual loss of the openers, Joe Root and first Joe Denly and then Stokes stood firm to take England to 156-3 at the close of the third day. Stokes at that point had just 2 runs from 71 balls of determined defiance. Root departed early on the fourth morning but a purposeful Jonny Bairstow energised Stokes and they put on 86. But 245-4 became 286-9 when Stuart broad was yorked. All hope had gone with still 73 required and just Jack Leach to come. Stokes was at that point on 61. Buoyed by Leach’s solid defence, Stokes twice launched Nathan Lyon for six over long off, and then outrageously switch-hit him into the Western Terrace. Cleverly farming the strike, he mixed conventional test match batting with outrageous innovation, ramping Pat Cummins over fine leg and manhandling a low full toss from Josh Hazlewood over the ropes. A half chance to third man was missed and when he smote Lyon over long off for his eighth six, England needed just two to win. Amidst unbearable tension Lyon then dropped a return that would have run out Leach and Stokes was lucky to survive an lbw shout next ball. When he clouted the winning boundary through cover he had scored 73 of the last wicket partnership of 76 and brought England back from the dead.

Degree of difficulty 10 (73 needed, 9 wickets down to achieve record chase.)

Match impact 10 (solo effort to win match and keep Ashes alive)

Percentage of team runs (37%) 5

Control index 8 (one half chance on 116 and escaped lbw decision with 2 to win)

Range and versatility 10 (a compelling mix of the orthodox and the outrageous)

TOTAL 43

There will be a daily Analyst Inside cricket podcast on each day of the England v India Test series. Please subscribe (free) to that and this blog - and you’ll get them automatically sent to your device.