Day 72: Trip to Northampton saw Duckett at top of game

 I have only ever been to Northampton once. It was at the start of the 2016 season. Northampton, I would guess, is a better place to access by road than by any other form of transport. It was how I got there with a friend. Some train routes included a journey to Coventry.

It was a glorious April day, and on the way down, it was a reasonable assumption that play would start on time. Once in the ground, it was a different story; sheets of ice had been removed from the outfield, and play would be delayed. It was a game where rain would wash away the final two days, so it didn't matter in the greater scheme of things.

With any new season, there is always a sense of optimism. For Sussex fans that started to fade on day one. It should have been a day to welcome George Garton to Championship cricket, and Danny Briggs had moved from Hampshire with something to prove in the red ball game. Ross Taylor, the New Zealand batsman, also made his Sussex Championship debut for Sussex in the match, although he would not get the opportunity to bat.

Ben Duckett stole the show for the home side as he started to go about amassing a mammoth 282 not out over the course of the two days of play. Duckett is a player that many feel has not gone on to fulfil his potential throughout his career. It is a real shame, as Duckett proved throughout that innings, he has the ability.

A bowling attack for Sussex that included Steve Magoffin, Ollie Robinson, Garton and Ajmal Shahzad should never be easy to score against early in the season. With Sussex happy to bowl first, that was the expectation.

Duckett, in that innings, was helped along the way with the help of opening partner Jake Libby (42) – a player he would play alongside at Notts- and Alex Wakely (51), his Northants skipper.

Duckett's standout performance was in a year when there was a call for a young opening batsman to prove they were worthy of an England squad.

Unfortunately for Duckett, his career has been plagued by off-field incidents such as the one that saw him sent home from Australia in an incident that James Anderson described as "a bit of a non-event" at the time.

There is no doubting Duckett can play, and if he knuckles down at Trent Bridge this summer, he might finally be able to put some of his previous behaviour behind him. He isn't the only player with a reputation at Notts, and together they will look to put their ability on the pitch to the forefront.