He started to shine when he found a spot as an opener in Tests in the Bazball era.
All-format batters are always special, and not many can ace it, especially in this era where each format demands different skills and tempo. Opening is even tougher, and adapting to various formats can be next to impossible. That’s why not many all-format openers are available in today’s cricket. Hence, those who are doing it certainly grab more eyeballs. One of them is Ben Duckett, who has slowly established himself as one of the top openers across formats. He might not be as great as the English media is hyping him, but Duckett is surely among the better ones.
Ben Duckett started to rise when he found a spot as an opener in Tests in the Bazball era. With flat pitches on offer, Duckett first established his authority at home, scoring quicker than most openers with unconventional shots. As an opener, he has 2,519 runs at an average of 44.98 in 59 Test innings, including 13 fifties and six centuries.
His average at home stands at a whopping 52.95, while his away average (39.42) is not too bad either. But he has mostly exploited flat conditions in Pakistan, where he averages 59.44, which has resulted in his away average nearing 40. However, Duckett has also played a few quality knocks in other conditions, including a magnificent ton in India last year.
His ODI numbers are impressive since he started opening last year. He has 781 runs at an average of 55.78 and a 113.02 strike rate in 14 innings, comprising five fifties and two centuries. Among all openers with at least 10 ODI outings since 2024, Duckett has the second-best strike rate (113.02), only behind Rohit Sharma (117.69).
Similarly, he has also become a permanent T20I opener from this year and has already performed well. As an opener, the southpaw has 221 runs at an average of 24.55 and a 166.16 strike rate in nine innings, including two fifties. Among all England batters with at least five T20I innings this year, Duckett’s strike rate is the second-best, only behind Jamie Smith (194.02).
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All-format openers are not enough at the moment. For instance, Australia’s Travis Head opens in white-ball cricket but bats in the middle order in Tests. India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal has only played Tests and T20Is but has yet to cement his spot in ODIs, while Rohit Sharma (Tests and T20Is) and David Warner (all formats) have retired.
So, the options are limited, which is one of the reasons why Duckett finds himself as the finest opener in world cricket; he hardly competes with anyone. Obviously, that also tells how hard it is to adapt to various formats. That’s where Duckett stands apart.
There are a few options that can challenge him in the coming times, like Ryan Rickelton and Will Young. However, the one player who comes close to him at the moment is Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka. He has seen a sharp rise in his career across formats, and the youngster is slowly establishing himself as one of the most premium openers in world cricket.
The talent was palpable from the start, but Nissanka has only recently converted it into consistent performances. Since 2024, he has 742 runs at an average of 57.07 in 14 Test innings, including two fifties and three centuries. He scored runs in England, decent in South Africa, and fabulous at home.
In ODIs, Nissanka has 780 runs at an average of 48.75 and a 104.97 strike rate in 17 outings. This includes three fifties and as many centuries. Before 2024, the same average and strike rate stood at 38.40 and 84.70, respectively.
He has improved even in T20Is, and 2024 was productive for him. Since last year, Nissanka has 636 runs at an average of 35.33 and a 137.96 strike rate in 20 innings, including five fifties. The biggest improvement has been in scoring rate, which was a mere 112.15 before 2024.
While Duckett is still better across formats, Nissanka is not far behind. What works in Duckett’s favour is his ability to remain consistent despite scoring quicker than most batters. Then, he has scored runs in most places in the longest format.
But that doesn’t take away anything from Nissanka, whose rise has been significant. His performances went unnoticed, but the Sri Lankan batter has shown expertise to remain consistent lately. If he can keep the same tempo, Duckett’s spot as the best opener across formats will be challenged soon.
Sure, Ben Duckett has done reasonably well as an opener, but it’s worth noting that he has not played enough white-ball cricket. In Tests, he is easily among the finest, but Duckett has yet to play a significant number of matches in the other two formats. He has started to open only recently in white-ball cricket.
For instance, only 14 of his 25 ODI innings have come as an opener, while the rest have been at No.3 or below. Similarly, he has played only nine out of his 20 innings as an opener and began opening this year only. The remaining T20I innings have been at No.4 or below, suggesting he was not always an opener.
Another thing is that Duckett has mostly batted in flat conditions in white-ball cricket. In fact, he has only played in three countries – India, Pakistan, and England – as an opener in the limited-overs format. He excelled in Pakistan and England, where the conditions didn’t have anything for bowlers, but couldn’t replicate the same success in India, even if he played a couple of decent knocks.
His ODI average in England, Pakistan, and India as an opener reads: 52.87, 75.66, & 43.66, respectively. Similarly, his T20I average and strike rate in England are 31 and 165.33, but they stand at 19.40 and 167.24 in India. So, there’s a pattern, even in a handful of innings he has played as an opener across white-ball formats.
To his credit, Ben Duckett has adapted to a new role quickly. But that’s not enough to form a conclusion. He has recent performances, but it might be too early to simply label him the best, given his small sample size and limited competitors.
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