ENG vs AUS: Geoffrey Boycott slams Ben Duckett for attempting to play like Viv Richards

In a scathing outburst, legendary England cricketer Sir Geoffrey Boycott has sparked a heated debate by saying that Ben Duckett is no match for the legendary Sir Viv Richards.

He pointed out that Ben Duckett tries to hit the ball all over the part like Richards. Boycott said that Duckett is not as special a talent as the legendary Caribbean batter was after his promising but inconsistent performances at the top of the order for England in the recent Test series against Sri Lanka and the West Indies at home.

Geoffrey Boycott labels Ben Duckett's approach as a poor imitation of Viv Richards' style

Ben Duckett has so far amassed 1,810 runs at an average of 42.09 in 46 innings, including three centuries. Despite these numbers, Boycott called Duckett’s style just an imitation of Richards rather than a true reflection of the West Indies icon’s prowess.

He feels Duckett's aggressive approach, featuring an array of flamboyant shots, lacks the finesse and consistency of Richards’ iconic style. Surprisingly, Boycott compared the England star's batting to a Brendon McCullum-like style, which he describes as unpredictable, and some of his spectacular shots led to his reckless dismissals.

Viv was special, Ben Duckett isn’t: Boycott

He stressed that the star batter has been perfectly following the Test head coach. Adding fuel to the fire, the former England cricketer also highlighted Ben Duckett’s recent struggles, pointing out that he failed to score a century in the Test series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka. He managed only three half-centuries, with a highest score of 86.

Geoffrey Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph: “Ben Duckett is a perfect example of the McCullum style. When he gets runs it is rat-a-tat-tat, shot a ball. There are great shots interspersed with slogs, pulls and sweeps. Other times he gets himself out with daft shots that you can’t believe he has tried. He attempts to play like a left-handed Viv Richards dismissing bowlers to all parts of the ground. Viv was special, Ben isn’t.”

Just like Kevin Pietersen, Harry Brook has charisma: Geoffrey Boycott

Moreover, Geoffrey Boycott’s comments extend to Harry Brook, as he suggested that the young England talent needs to adapt his game to counter evolving bowling strategies. While Boycott admires Brook’s potential, he warned that bowlers will increasingly exploit weaknesses in his technique.

Geoffrey Boycott explained, “Harry Brook has had a meteoric rise. In full flow, there is a touch of Kevin Pietersen as he improvises with effortless timing and power. Just like Kevin, he has charisma. But while Harry has been plundering runs teams will have been searching for ways to get him out.”

He signed off by saying, “Because of video analysis, teams are studying every dismissal and in the future, more and more bowlers are going to bowl wide at the fourth and fifth stump to test his patience. Sri Lanka are the latest to wait for him to get himself out.”

Notably, England will now shift focus to the white-ball cricket, as they are set to host Australia in a three-match T20I and three-match ODI series. The white-ball series will begin on September 11 in Southampton.