Ben Duckett scored his first Test century in over a year, revealing that shedding some weight helped him pile on the runs. The England opener credited a post-winter fitness regime for his form in the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
Duckett's fitness transformation
Duckett lost about 6kg (13lb) after returning from his winter international commitments and adopting a new fitness regime that included running for the first time. He said: "I've been doing a lot of fitness and got the rewards today in the heat. I had maybe a four-week block where I didn't hit many balls. You don't get many windows where you can go and lose the amount of weight I lost."
Century on home ground
Duckett scored a 99-ball 113 on his home ground, his first Test century since September 2024. He acknowledged the role of luck, having edged to slip on eight—a karmic comeback after being run out at the Oval last week. "I was chatting to [fielding coach] Sarah Taylor this morning and I said I've got to get some luck eventually, that's just how the game works," he said.
England's bowling performance
Earlier in the day, England took New Zealand's last six first-innings wickets for 77 runs, with Ben Stokes taking three wickets in eight overs. Duckett praised the team's resilience: "A lot of teams would have folded in the position we were in. We want to be a side that never gives up and wins from different positions, and when he's doing that it's pretty impossible for everyone else not to get on his back and do the same. That was just an incredible, incredible morning for us."
New Zealand's perspective
New Zealand slipped from 317 without loss to 438 all out. Daryl Mitchell acknowledged England's bowling but remained optimistic: "We had a great opening partnership and yes, you want to score more runs, but England are allowed to bowl well and I thought this morning they bowled well, they took their chances, and here we are now. But the cool thing is, we've still got a lead. Test cricket's about five days, not just one or two, and we'll be giving it everything we can to be there on that day five."
