Ben Duckett (Grafton 13) made his debut for Northamptonshire in the 2012 Friends Life T20 match against Gloucestershire when he was still in the Lower Sixth at Stowe.
In 2016, Ben began the season with a score of 282 not out against Sussex, the sixth-highest first-class score for Northamptonshire. He played a decisive part in helping Northamptonshire win the NatWest T20 Blast, sharing a 132 run partnership with Alex Wakely in the semi-finals. He began his international career in July 2016 when he was selected for the England Lions squad for the series against Pakistan A and Sri Lanka A. He scored 164 not out versus Sri-Lanka A and then scored a double century vs. Pakistan A (the highest score by an England Lions Player).
This success led to Ben being selected as a full member of England’s Test squad for their tour to Bangladesh and he made his One Day International (ODI) debut for England on 7 October 2016.
In two of the three matches Ben scored half centuries, both of which were games that England won, and they also won the series. Later, Ben made his maiden Test Match fifty in the second Test Match versus Bangladesh.
This phenomenal and transformative season was recognised by the Cricket Writers’ Club and the Professional Cricketers’ Association when Ben was named Young Cricketer of the Year. Ben was also named
PCA Player of the Year, the first player to win both PCA awards in the same season.
James Knott, Head of Cricket