England's Ben Duckett: The New Virender Sehwag? Former Coach Draws Bold Comparison

Thursday - 26/06/2025 15:50

Former England coach David Lloyd has likened Ben Duckett's aggressive batting style to that of Virender Sehwag, highlighting Duckett's proficiency with the reverse sweep. Duckett's school coach, James Knott, revealed that his attacking flair was nurtured from a young age, stemming from his hockey background.

Ben Duckett Hailed as England's Answer to Virender Sehwag

Former England coach David Lloyd has drawn a comparison between Ben Duckett and the explosive former Indian opener, Virender Sehwag.

England's Ben Duckett plays a shot on day five of the first cricket test match between England and India at Headingley in Leeds, England, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)

Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Lloyd stated, "Ben Duckett has come a long way since he poured a drink over Jimmy Anderson on an Ashes tour. He is now England’s answer to Virender Sehwag and is opening the batting in your World XI. The reverse sweep is such a natural shot for him. He plays it for fun. It’s no surprise to learn he was a good hockey player at school because it’s like a hockey shot."

Duckett's proficiency with the reverse sweep has been a talking point, and his former school coach, James Knott, shed light on the development of this particular skill.

Knott told The Times, “I’d seen better technical ability at that age, but he hit the ball very hard and had already begun reverse-sweeping, which he took from hockey. We worked on orthodox sweeping and laps, and midway through his time at Stowe, the school acquired a Merlyn spin-bowling machine. In one match, against Brighton College from Australia, Ben went from 100 to 150 entirely through reverse-sweeps. Certainly, I didn’t want to take away his attacking flair. And although he had a big hunger for runs, he was not selfish. He wanted to open the batting as school cricket was not going to be much of a challenge if he was coming in at No. 4. That was the best thing to happen to him. I thought he’d have a longer career in the shorter forms of the game and wasn’t sure if he would be successful at Test level, but Ben Stokes and ‘Baz’ McCullum arrived at just the right time for him.”

Duckett's impressive 149 played a crucial role in England's successful chase of 371 runs on the final day of the Leeds Test.