"He attempts to play like a left-handed Viv Richards" - Sir Geoffrey Boycott unimpressed by Ben Duckett's underwhelming Test summer

Former England cricketer Sir Geoffrey Boycott has stated that Ben Duckett is no Viv Richards. Boycott observed how the left-hander tries to play like Richards by smacking the ball all around the park but claimed that Duckett isn't that special.

Duckett has shown plenty of promise at the top of the order since replacing Alex Lees at the top of the order. The Nottinghamshire batter averages 42.09 in 46 innings as an opener, scoring 1,810 runs, with three centuries to his name.

In his column for The Telegraph, Boycott suggested that Duckett's style is similar to that of Brendon McCullum, laced with unbelievable shots while also finding strange ways to get out. He elaborated:

"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."

Duckett failed to get a century in the Test series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka this season. The 29-year-old managed three half-centuries with a best of 86 against Sri Lanka at The Oval coming in a losing cause.

"Sri Lanka are the latest to wait for him to get himself out" - Sir Geoffrey Boycott on Harry Brook

The 83-year-old pointed out that Harry Brook must find ways to improvise after an underwhelming summer as teams will try to dismiss him by bowling in the channel. Boycott elaborated:

"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."

"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."

Brook, who missed the entire India tour earlier this year, struck two fifties and a century this summer. He made four promising thirty-plus scores but failed to convert these into substantial knocks.