I’m not going to judge Ben Duckett for drinking. I did the same |
I am not going to criticise England for what they got up to in Noosa. I criticise what they do on the cricket field, the way they play and the way they prepare to play cricket. I am not going to point the finger at a group of young people who have had a few beers on a couple of days off.
I did exactly the same as them when I played for England, although I did at least know when it was time to go home and that is probably what Ben Duckett needs to learn.
Ben Duckett at the MCG on Christmas Day.Credit: Getty Images
But fundamentally, let us judge Duckett on the cricket field, let us judge Rob Key, the director of cricket, on the decisions that he has made, and let us judge Brendon McCullum on the coaching he has delivered. Let us judge Ben Stokes on his captaincy over the series, and the players in terms of their numbers when the series has finished.
Do not throw the book at them for having a few drinks or Jacob Bethell dancing to YMCA in a nightclub, but it is a great lesson for Key because it shows what can happen if you take your eye off the........