England’s Ashes Gamble Leaves Ben Duckett Exposed on a Brutal MCG Day
So, let’s talk about Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, and what felt like a genuinely chaotic day for England at the MCG during this Ashes Test. This wasn’t just another bad batting collapse. What unfolded looked more like two players being pushed into an impossible situation by a system that had already lost its grip.
England were bowled out for just 110 in under 30 overs on a Boxing Day pitch that was lively, uneven, and clearly hostile to batters. Duckett and Bethell were right at the centre of it. Both came in under pressure, both looked uncertain against a new ball that was moving sharply, and both were gone almost as soon as they arrived. Duckett lasted five balls. Bethell lasted five more. And just like that, England were already spiralling.
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Duckett’s dismissal summed up the mood. A full ball from Mitchell Starc was awkwardly spooned to mid-on, the kind of shot that suggests a player searching for answers rather than playing with clarity. It wasn’t reckless, but it was scrambled. Bethell followed soon after, edging behind off Michael Neser, despite looking composed for those brief moments at the crease. England were eight for two, and the familiar Ashes collapse was already underway.
But here’s where perspective matters. It’s easy to point fingers at Duckett and Bethell, and some criticism was always going to come their way. Yet it’s hard to escape the sense that both were left completely exposed by England’s wider setup. Duckett’s recent off-field headlines, which were made out to be a major scandal, felt more like a symptom than a cause. A lack of structure, guidance, and basic oversight has been visible throughout this tour, and it showed again here.
As for Bethell, the situation was even more stark. Batting at number three in front of over 90,000 people on a seaming MCG pitch, with barely any red-ball cricket behind him in the last year, felt like a gamble dressed up as bold selection. He is 22, talented, and clearly promising, but he has been shuttled between formats and countries without the grounding needed for a moment like this. No rational judge could have expected success under those conditions.
This wasn’t just a bad day at the office. It felt like talent being mishandled in real time. Duckett, once in outstanding form, looks stripped of rhythm and confidence. Bethell looks like a player being rushed before he’s properly ready. The pitch may improve, and England will get another chance to bat, but the damage here went beyond the scoreboard.
What lingered most was the sense of a team sent into battle without a clear plan, confusing bold thinking with basic neglect. And on this wild MCG day, Duckett and Bethell were the ones left standing in the firing line.
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