Mark Wood Boosts England Ahead of Champions Trophy
With the Champions Trophy on the horizon, England's focus on peaking at the right time and taking positives from their performances against India could be crucial in their quest for success, and Mark Wood's potential impact on the team's fortunes will be closely watched.
England opener Ben Duckett says his team is focused on the Champions Trophy and is not concerned about the prospect of a 3-0 series defeat to India, with their sights set on peaking at the right time for the tournament.
Despite struggles under new white-ball coach Brendon McCullum, Duckett remains optimistic about the team's chances in the Champions Trophy, where they will face Australia, South Africa, and Afghanistan in the group stage. England's performance in the Champions Trophy is more important than the ODI series against India, according to Duckett, who believes the team can still win the tournament despite losing 2-0 to India.
Duckett has joined the squad in India, replacing Jacob Bethell who was ruled out with a hamstring injury, and has expressed satisfaction with his own batting performance, despite not converting his 65 off 56 balls into a triple digit score. He stated that he will continue to bat with the same approach and is not concerned about potential criticism from coach Brendon McCullum.
As England prepares to face India in the final match of the ODI series in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, Duckett's comments suggest that the team is looking beyond the current series and focusing on the bigger prize of the Champions Trophy, which starts in Pakistan on February 22, with Mark Wood likely to play a key role in their campaign.
