England opener Ben Duckett nearly knocked over his own stumps in frustration after his dismissal during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash against South Africa. The left-handed batter, who had shown promising form in the tournament, was visibly upset after falling to left-arm pacer Marco Jansen in what turned out to be a disappointing start for England.
England skipper Jos Buttler had elected to bat first at the National Stadium in Karachi on March 1, hoping for a solid start. However, the innings quickly took a turn for the worse. Opener Phil Salt departed for just 8 runs in the very first over, and Jamie Smith followed soon after, dismissed by a fiery Jansen in the third over. England found themselves struggling at 24/2 when Duckett walked in, aiming to stabilize the innings.
The moment of frustration came in the seventh over when Jansen, bowling a length delivery angling down the leg side, forced Duckett into an awkward flick shot. Instead of finding the boundary, the ball took a leading edge, and Jansen reacted swiftly, diving to his left to complete a sharp caught-and-bowled dismissal. Duckett, having scored 24 off 21 balls with four boundaries, was left fuming. As he walked back, he swung his bat in frustration and almost knocked over the stumps—a clear reflection of England’s struggles in the tournament.
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Official broadcaster Star Sports shared the moment on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, “#MarcoJansen picks up his 3rd wicket, sending the in-form #BenDuckett back!”
Duckett’s frustration was understandable given his form earlier in the tournament. He had started the campaign with a magnificent 165 off 143 balls against Australia, though it went in vain as England suffered a loss. In the second game against Afghanistan, he chipped in with 38 off 45, but England’s struggles continued as they crashed out of the tournament following back-to-back defeats.
#MarcoJansen picks up his 3rd wicket, sending the in-form #BenDuckett back!#ChampionsTrophyOnJioStar 👉 #SAvENG | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 2 & Sports18-1 pic.twitter.com/fBscM9HGYE
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 1, 2025
Reflecting on Ben Duckett’s dismissal, England all-rounder Chris Woakes labeled it a “soft” one, suggesting that the ball was poorly bowled and could have easily been left alone. “A soft dismissal. It was a poor delivery really and would have been called a wide. It’s unfortunate for Duckett. He will feel as though he could have easily played that for four or just left it completely,” Woakes said on BBC Sounds.
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By the end of the powerplay, England had managed just 62 runs for the loss of three wickets, with Jansen proving to be the chief destroyer. With Joe Root and Harry Brook at the crease, England hoped to rebuild and salvage some pride in their final match of the tournament.
Having already been eliminated after losses to Australia and Afghanistan, England’s campaign had been underwhelming. With Buttler stepping down as England’s white-ball captain, this match marked the end of an era, though the team was still searching for a consolation win to bow out with some dignity.
