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England cricketer Ben Duckett has deactivated his account on X (formerly Twitter) after claiming his remark on Jasprit Bumrah have been taken out of context.
Ben Duckett (left) begins his walk back to the dressing room after being dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah. (BCCI Photo)
England opener Ben Duckett has reportedly deactivated his X account (formerly Twitter) after defending his comments on India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. In an interview, Duckett had said having faced Bumrah before means he knows what the star pacer is capable of and therefore, he isn’t going to be ‘surprised’ what’s in store when England host India for a five-match Test series later this year.
In an interview to Daily Mail, Duckett had said he’s aware the damage Bumrah can do while also lauding Mohammed Shami.
“I’ve faced him (Bumrah) in a five-Test series before. I know what he’s going to do to me, and the good thing about that is I know what skills he has,” Duckett was quoted as saying by the daily.
“There’s going to be nothing that surprises me. It’s going to be challenging, and the red-ball skills of Mohammed Shami are just as threatening as Bumrah. But if I can get through that opening spell, I feel there are runs to be had,” he added.
Defending his remark, Duckett said he never claimed he would fare well against the India fast bowler and advised another X user to read the article before making assumptions.
Screenshots of his replies are doing the rounds on the social media platform after he deactivated his account.
Duckett was dismissed by Bumrah once during England’s five-match Test tour of India last year in January. The Indian pace spearhead played a key role in his team’s 4-1 win after finishing with 19 wickets – the third best tally of the series which was dominated by spinners – having played four Tests.
Duckett also indicated that while beating India at their own backyard is a stiff challenge, they aren’t as strong when on tour.
“India at home is very different to India away. It’s a side I feel we should beat and we can beat. It’ll be a good series,” he said.