The Athletic has launched a Cricket WhatsApp Channel. Click here to join.Ben Duckett has been a symbol of all that has gone wrong with Bazball England.From being caught in two minds with the bat to being caught out worse for wear on the streets of Noosa, Duckett has been the epitome of the ‘unserious’ team England have become on and off the field.Yet, in Nottingham on Friday, here was the old Duckett back on his adopted home ground and scoring his first century in a little over a year — an innings that might help transform this deciding Test in England’s favour.At 5.22pm on Thursday, New Zealand were in command at 317 without loss, with England contemplating their first wicketless day in a home Test for 37 years. Fast forward just over 24 hours, and the hosts, at 223-2, are 215 behind opponents who lost all 10 of their wickets for 121 and then saw Duckett bring back memories of the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum axis at its peak in searing heat and on the flattest of pitches.Ben Duckett was back to his blistering best, scoring 113 off just 99 deliveries (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)This was the opening batter England’s managing director Rob Key brought back from international obscurity at the end of the first Bazball summer of 2022 and gave him licence to thrill with Zak Crawley.This was the Duckett that, almost exactly 12 months ago, was being talked of as one of the best — if not the best — all-format batter in the world after making 149 in England’s successful chase of 371 to win the first Test against India at Headingley.Little has gone right for Duckett, and England, since then.The runs have dried up as he has tried and largely failed to add responsibility and, yes, seriousness to his natural expansive game. He had even started to leave the ball outside off stump, albeit not always particularly convincingly.There was a score of 94 and another half century later in what became a drawn series against India last summer, but his highest Test score since then was the 42 that completed Duckett’s and England’s miserable Ashes tour of Australia in Sydney.Worse was the video that emerged of Duckett stumbling around late at night looking in vain for an Uber during England’s ill-judged mid-Ashes break in a Queensland coastal resort. It was the image that did as much as anything to usher in England’s ill-fated curfew.Ben Duckett endured a miserable Ashes (William West/AFP via Getty Images)So concerned was Duckett about joining his long-standing opening partner Crawley on the post-Ashes scrap heap that he risked a two-year ban from the riches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) by pulling out of his £200,000 deal with the Delhi Capitals.Instead, he worked hard at home on his fitness — an area that has sometimes let him down — and lost, he estimates, “five to six kgs” before the start of the new English season.It was a commendable move to put England and self-improvement first, but it was a decision that did not reap immediate rewards for Duckett in the first two Tests. There was a glimpse of the opener returning to his best at the Oval when he raced to 36 in the first innings, only to be run out by his new partner Emilio Gay.Now he took advantage of Trent Bridge at its most inviting for batting and an inexperienced New Zealand attack lacking Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson, which was weakened further by the withdrawal of Blair Tickner with concussion.Duckett loves batting on the Nottingham ground he has made his county home.He made 71 and 76 in his first Trent Bridge Test against West Indies in 2024, and last year came a century in a low-key Test against Zimbabwe. Just for good measure, he scored an unbeaten double century on this most majestic of English cricket grounds for Nottinghamshire against defending county champions Surrey to gain the red-ball runs and match practice he craved after turning his back on the IPL.This was as good as anything Duckett has produced at Trent Bridge as he added 179 for the second England wicket with Jacob Bethell after the early loss of Gay.He was quickly unfurling those punched cover drives that are his trademark and raced along to his seventh Test century off just 88 balls, the joint-ninth fastest for England and a reminder of how good this side’s old style can still be when executed smartly.This was Ben Duckett back to his best (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)There was a roar from Duckett, a clenched fist and a display of emotion he has rarely shown before as he reached three figures with a quick single and accepted the acclaim of a home crowd roasting in temperatures touching 36 degrees Celsius.“It meant a lot to me,” he told reporters at the close of play. “I’ve been on a journey probably since last summer and I was glad I didn’t have to face any more balls in that over because I was actually quite emotional, just taking it all in.“I’ve done a lot of fitness work since I came back from the winter and that helped me in the heat today. It was incredibly special to me. I wouldn’t say it vindicated not going to the IPL because I could have gone there and still made that century. We’ll never know if it was the right decision but I’ve had a great three months and a great reset.“It’s an individual thing but it was right for me. I’m not getting any younger and I want to keep on doing this for England as long as I possibly can.”