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Ben Duckett let his bat do the talking with a masterful 165 off 143 balls as England posted the highest Champions Trophy total ever in their tournament opener against Australia in Lahore.
Duckett’s innings, the best individual score at this event, included 17 fours and three sixes and helped England to 351 for eight off their 50 overs, beating New Zealand’s 347 for four against the USA in the 2004 edition.
It was built on a chanceless 158-run stand in 155 balls with Joe Root (68 off 78 deliveries) after England had slipped to 43 for two, lifting them to 200 for two after 30 overs and dreaming of a 400-plus total.
Harry Brook, Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone were unable to offer tangible support to Duckett, who perished in the 48th over, before Jofra Archer’s unbeaten 21 off 10 balls took England past 350 against an Australia side missing first-choice pace attack Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Duckett was criticised for saying he did not care as England slumped to a 3-0 ODI series defeat in India this month as long as they won the Champions Trophy. England lost seven of eight matches in India but Duckett, who was given the all clear last weekend after suffering a groin injury, did the hard yards here to get them to an imposing, if not unassailable total, on a true pitch.
It was inauspicious start as Phil Salt (10) and Jamie Smith (15), batting at three for the first time, showed intent but perished to catches at mid-on off Ben Dwarshuis, leaving England two down in the sixth over.
Matters might have worsened but when Duckett was beaten through the gate by Nathan Ellis, the ball sailed away for four byes. With England teetering, Duckett and Root rebuilt in risk-free fashion.
This was Root close to his best, ticking along at around a run-a-ball without ever looking in trouble, while Duckett was a capable foil, thumping the last two balls in Glenn Maxwell’s first two overs for boundaries, the second clearing it.
Having eschewed his customary sweeps in getting to fifty, Duckett paddled Adam Zampa immediately after crashing him through the covers. Duckett took 50 from 36 balls off the leg-spinner, who had Root lbw when he missed a sweep of his own to end England’s highest ODI partnership of this winter.
Duckett kept on going and unorthodox flat-batted swipes brought him back-to-back fours and a 95-ball hundred before the left-hander allowed himself a reverse sweep off Zampa, just his second sweep of the day, before slapping a free hit just over long-on, with Maxwell also going the distance.
Brook’s struggles against leg-spin continued as, having been dismissed five times in the T20 series in India by Varun Chakravarthy or Ravi Bishnoi, he sliced Zampa to Alex Carey for his third catch.
While Duckett continued on his merry way, effectively anchoring proceedings and going past 150, there were cameos from Buttler (23) and Livingstone (14) but both holed out to expose the bowlers.
Duckett departed when he missed a tired heave off Marnus Labuschagne, who was surprisingly entrusted with the 50th over. While he snared Brydon Carse, he was heaved for two boundaries by Archer as England ended the innings with a flourish.
