Ben Duckett had replaced Phil Salt in England's last T20I against Sri Lanka.
England are all set to kickstart their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium. The team declared the playing XI in advance, which raised questions about why Ben Duckett is not playing for England. The reason is simple: England opted to back their proven opening combination, comprising Phil Salt and Jos Buttler.
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (C), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, and Luke Wood.
The 31-year-old has not been among England’s plans in recent times for the shortest format of the game. Following their three-T20I series against the West Indies at home in June 2025, the management believed in a new opening pair of Salt and Buttler. Moreover, his return to the format during their last fixture in Sri Lanka could not add much value for his comeback, leading to why Ben Duckett is not playing for England.
The batter had replaced Salt in the third T20I against the Islanders as Buttler missed the fixture due to back spasms. But Duckett’s golden duck in the sole opportunity further dented his chances to strengthen the spot. It eventually justified why Ben Duckett is not playing for England.
However, Salt and Buttler have proved to be an explosive opening duo for England, with 644 runs in their last nine outings. The team is also on a red-hot form, winning five out of their last eight 20-over series since the T20 World Cup 2024. Notably, their only series defeat in this period has come against the defending champions, India.
This will also be the maiden T20 World Cup appearance for Harry Brook as the skipper and his third overall. The 2022 champions will look to replicate a similar show to claim their second T20 silverware.
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The left-hander possesses average T20I stats, scoring only 527 runs in 21 matches. While Duckett’s strike rate of 153.19 fits in the modern 20-over template, the opener averages an underwhelming 27.73 in the format. This clearly explains why Ben Duckett is not playing for England and their choice to pair up a swashbuckling Phil Salt with their former white-ball captain Buttler at the top.
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