"One man army mode" - Fans erupt as Ben Duckett smashes record-breaking ton in AUS vs ENG 2025 Champions Trophy clash
England opener Ben Duckett stole the show with his incredible batting exploits in the side's 2025 Champions Trophy match against Australia on Saturday, February 22. Australia won the toss and chose to bowl first at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
England lost a couple of early wickets, with Phil Salt and Jamie Smith getting out cheaply. However, Duckett took the Australian bowlers to the cleaners to put his side into a strong position.
Playing in his first-ever ICC tournament match, the southpaw notched up a record-breaking ton. He registered the highest-ever individual score in Champions Trophy history, scoring 165 runs off 143 deliveries.
New Zealand's Nathan Astle held the record previously with a 145*-run knock against the United States of America in 2004. Duckett became the first-ever batter to cross the 150-run mark in the competition.
The 30-year-old hit three sixes and 17 fours during his marathon knock. The batter earned widespread praise on social media for his stunning performance. Here are some of the top reactions on X:
It is worth mentioning that Ben Duckett remained unsold at the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) mega auction. A few fans opined that the swashbuckling batter deserved an IPL contract and teams should have him on their radar if an injury replacement is needed.
"Ben Duckett should be the injury replacement for any team who has not bought good openers(The likes of Punjab & LSG ).I m bemused that he was not sold in an #IPL mega auction.Lack of league reputation has costed him I guess," wrote a fan.
"Ben Duckett not being part of this year's IPL is a big disappointment. Hope he gets called up by some team as replacement seeing the form he has shown," remarked another.
"Strange that Ben Duckett didn’t attract any bidders in IPL, looks like a complete player and gives a glimpse of young David Warner. A batsman who oozes class & bravery at the same time," chimed in yet another.
Duckett's knock finally came to an end in the 48th over. Part-time bowler Marnus Labuschagne trapped the opener in front of the wickets to end a spectacular innings.
Ben Duckett's sensational century helped England register highest total in Champions Trophy history
Ben Duckett was the top performer with the bat for England in their 2025 Champions Trophy match against rivals Australia. He got good support from senior batter Joe Root, who scored 68 runs off 78 balls.
The two stitched together a brilliant 158-run stand for the third wicket, helping their team recover from an underwhelming start. England ultimately finished 351/8 after 50 overs, registering the highest-ever team total in the history of the tournament. They bettered New Zealand, who posted 347/4 against the United States of America in 2004.
Australia dearly missed big names like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood in the encounter. Ben Dwarshuis was their pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 10-0-66-3.