BEN DUCKETT has pulled out of the Indian Premier League to try to save his England Test place.
Left-hander Duckett will lose a £200,000 deal with Delhi Capitals and be banned from the competition until 2029.
But he wants to concentrate on England after a nightmare winter in which he flopped in the Ashes, was sidelined in the T20 World Cup and filmed drunk during the notorious team break in Noosa.
Team supremo Rob Key stated on Monday that the Ashes review means England will be more ruthless over selection.
So Duckett, one of the stars of the early, successful years of Bazball, knows his Test place at the top of the order is under threat.
Instead of the IPL, he will play for Notts in the County Championship and spend hours trying to rebuild his form and confidence in the nets with Notts and ex-England coach Peter Moores,
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Duckett, 31, admitted: “I’ve made the decision on my own accord.
“I felt the best thing for me to be ready to play for England is to be here right now, at home, refreshing my mind and body and getting in the best shape of my life come the First Test in June.”
Duckett added: “Everything I’d done for four years was building towards this winter. This could have been the best 12 months of my life.
“I got married in October, then hoped to win the Ashes down under, play a World Cup and win that.
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“It couldn’t have gone much worse but it has lit a massive fire in my belly.”
On the Noosa incident, Duckett said: “The build-up to the Boxing Day Test was one of the toughest moments of my career, but I’m so grateful for the support I received from England and Rob Key.
“I’m sorry for that incident, it was not professional and shouldn’t have happened. There is no hiding away from it.”
