Across September and October, Pakistan and England played out one of the most entertaining T20 series in recent memory. England eventually emerged with a 4-3 win, but both sides will take positives into this year’s World Cup.
As one of the favourites for the trophy, England have enhanced their position on the back of that series victory, but the games have raised a number of selection questions.
Reclaiming Their Slots
A number of key players were rested for that Pakistan series. Liam Livingstone, Ben Stokes and skipper Jos Buttler will all return to the England squad for the T20 World Cup.
One player to miss out is Ben Duckett who played a key role in that most recent win. Initially promoted as a stop gap, his figures in Pakistan may leave the selectors to regret their decision to leave him out of the party travelling to Australia.
England at the World Cup
Jos Buttler and his England side will start as one of three joint favourites for the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup. Joining them at the top of the markets are India and defending champions Australia who won in the UAE twelve months ago.
Also in with a chance, according to the top betting sportsbooks linking to SBO.net, are New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan. The World Cup starts later in October so there is little scope for the odds to change. If, however, there are any updates, these will be clearly shown on the SBO website.
Readers can consider the teams in contention while additional information is provided in the shape of blog posts and news stories. Each betting operator is reviewed and visitors can get directly involved if they wish to do so.
All bookmakers listed will be happy to take on new customers who are eligible and are ready to complete an online registration form. Sign up is swift and secure and many of those sportsbooks list a generous welcome promotion by way of a thank you.
Funds will be needed to cover opening bets and there is a range of deposit providers that can help with this. Effective customer service is available, while additional benefits moving forward may include extra promos, live streaming and the ability to stake on a mobile device via an app.
It’s a useful site for the World Cup and for any form of cricket betting, but would England’s chances be boosted if they were to find room for Ben Duckett in their squad?
Duckett in Numbers
Ben Duckett has arguably been the most consistent player in English county cricket across the last two seasons. Playing for Nottinghamshire in division two of the County Championship, the left hander scored 1012 runs in 14 innings in 2022.
Duckett’s average of 72.29 was also the second highest of any English qualified batter playing in the second tier.
The Notts Outlaw has also offered rare positives for the disappointing Welsh Fire team in the Hundred. He’s a multi-format batter and could potentially solve a number of issues at international level.
Where Does Duckett Slot in?
Harry Brook was named England’s player of the series against Pakistan following a number of impressive displays with the bat. Brook eventually finished with 238 runs with a highest score of 81 and a strike rate of 163.01.
England supporters are right to be excited about Brook who should be a regular moving forward. Ben Duckett’s stats compare favourably but he’s somehow gone under the radar. The left hander scored 233 runs in that series with a best of 70 and a strike rate of 159.58.
While Harry Brook has made it into the England World Cup squad, Duckett will remain on the sidelines. It’s a hard unit to break into but there is potential for the Notts batter to replace Dawid Malan who has struggled after briefly making it to the top of the T20I rankings.
Duckett could also be effective in the test squad. He’s been used as an opener in the past and may slot in as a replacement for either Alex Lees or Zac Crawley moving forward. He’s been effective at all levels in domestic cricket and it’s hoped that Ben Duckett has now earned a run in the England set up.
