As lockdown begins to ease, and life begins to make the long journey back to normality, Ben Duckett is a little conflicted.

Named as one of 55 men returning to training with England, he can hardly wait to experience the feeling of bat on ball once more.

But the last few weeks have had their share of positives for the Notts batsman – and he admits that re-emerging into the outside world will take some acclimatisation.

“In a strange way, I got used to lockdown very quickly. I think it’s actually going to be weird going back to a more normal kind of life,” he says.

“Even when I’ve been out in the last few days for a takeaway coffee, it’s felt odd to be out doing that.

“I’m living with my two sisters and my best mate – he’s lived with me for a while, my older sister moved in more recently, and my younger sister came up before lockdown so she wasn’t on her own.

“As a cricketer, you’re away quite a lot and don’t get to spend too much time with your family, so it’s been nice to spend time with the girls – and my mate as well.

“It’s been a nice group to live with – there were a few arguments at the start, but we’ve got used to each other now!”

Duckett’s first refuge as lockdown has eased has been the golf course.

The left-hander has cut a distinctive figure, with his bleached-blonde hair having not been trimmed since salons closed, but his game no longer stands out for the wrong reasons.

“Over the winter, I worked harder than I ever have before – and in the past few weeks, it’s been massive for me to actually enjoy doing fitness work”

“I’ve been on a course pretty much every day in the last couple of weeks,” he says.

“I’m trying to improve my golf as it’s such a big social thing in cricket – and it’s definitely better than it was.

“I didn’t used to feel like I could socially play with people because I couldn’t keep the ball on the fairway, but I’m slowly getting more consistent. Hopefully I’ll be able to play more when I’m out of this. “

Before the coronavirus crisis forced the suspension of cricket, Duckett’s winter had been a notably productive one.

A stint in South Africa alongside Joe Clarke allowed the 25-year-old to focus on honing his technique – work which was stepped up once again whilst in Notts’ facility at Lady Bay.

Whilst that work has been put on hold, Duckett has used his downtime to focus anew on his fitness.

“Over the winter, I worked harder than I ever have before – and in the past few weeks, it’s been massive for me to actually enjoy doing fitness work,” he says.

“Maybe that hasn’t been my biggest focus in the last five or six years.

“I feel much better about myself and my body now though, so the challenge is to keep that up.

“I wouldn’t say fitness is quite a hobby of mine, but I’ve definitely enjoyed it more than I used to.”