Ben Duckett pulls out off £200,000 IPL deal to save England Test spot

• England opener now faces three-year ban from IPL

• ‘My journey into Test team has come from county cricket’

Ben Duckett has pulled out of the upcoming Indian Premier League and now faces a three-year ban from the tournament after deciding he needs county cricket to shore up his place in England’s Test team.

The opener, 31, was signed by Delhi Capitals at the IPL auction in December in a deal worth £200,000 and, with the competition starting this weekend, was due to miss the first two months of the English season.