Duckett: “I love playing at Edgbaston”

Ben Duckett is excited to walk out in Birmingham Phoenix colours at a ground he describes as "the best atmosphere in the country".

The 28-year-old will call Edgbaston home this summer for the 2023 edition of The Hundred after being a round-one pick in last month’s draft.

An England international in all formats, Duckett was a prime target for Phoenix, having been Welsh Fire’s leading run-scorer in both of the first two seasons.

And now the right-hander will head to Edgbaston looking to build on his flourishing career with a loud home following behind them.

“I’ve been fortunate to play in quite a few Finals Days,” said Duckett. “I’ve got some really good memories of playing there and it’s always a nice place to bat.

“Thankfully, when I was captain for Welsh Fire I was in the ring so I didn’t get any flack from the crowd. Now it’s my home ground I’ll head out to the boundary and they can get behind us.

“I love playing at Edgbaston and I think it’s probably the best atmosphere in the country and even around the world. When you’ve got 25,000, the place is rocking and as a home team that’s great.”

A new member of the Phoenix, Duckett will still be a familiar face in the dressing room.

A regular with England, plus worldwide franchise opportunities, the wicket-keeper batter is looking to reunite with some of Phoenix’s big names.

“I was chatting to Mo (Ali) just before the draft as we were in Bangladesh together,” added Duckett. “I text him when I was selected saying I was buzzing and he said we had a good team.

“I’ve played against them and it seems a really strong group of players who are tough to beat.”

“The overseas are strong, and then there’s Mo and Liam (Livingstone) – they were reasons for me coming. If you go through the team, I’ve played with pretty much all of them, and they’re all a good bunch of lads.

“There’s so much power in the line up so hopefully I can bring something different. There are a lot of six hitters, and I’m more of an anchor who hits fours, so if I can do that with Will Smeed, Mo and Liam around myself we’ll be good.”

Duckett could arrive at Edgbaston on the back of an exciting summer.

Pencilled into the top order, Duckett could face the first ball of the Ashes, which coincidentally is at Edgbaston on 16 June.

“I don’t know exactly what I’ll be playing in, but it’ll be an exciting summer,” concluded the Farnborough native. ”All I can do is focus on the things I know I’m going to be doing which is Notts in the County Championship and Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.

“If I’m involved in The Ashes then I’ll miss the Blast, so The Hundred will be my white ball fix this summer. Hopefully, after winning The Ashes I can come here and enjoy a relaxed, but hungry-to-win environment.”