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England cricketers refuse to eat a particular food during the Ashes for superstitious reasons, according to a report.
Ben Stokes' side are gearing up for the first Test against Australia in Perth, which starts on Friday, hoping to win a series Down Under for the first time since 2011.
After an enthralling 2-2 draw in England in 2023, there is plenty riding on this Ashes series and Stokes' team are doing everything possible to place the odds in their favour.
According to The Sun, England's cricketers will not eat duck while out in Australia, fearing the food will lead to them scoring nothing.
The first ball of the last Ashes series Down Under saw Mitchell Starc bowl former England opener Rory Burns out for a golden duck, getting Australia off to the perfect start.
The tourists went on to set a yearly record of 54 ducks in 2021, with many of those dismissals coming during the 4-0 Ashes series defeat.
Ben Stokes and his England team are superstitiously refusing to eat duck during the Ashes
England are gearing up for the first Test against Australia in Perth, which starts on Friday
Former England Test star Jos Buttler has revealed that players also avoid onion rings and Polos
This time around, England's batsmen — including the likes of Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook — will steer well clear of the food in an effort to avoid suffering a similar fate.
Jos Buttler, who kept wicket during the 2021 horror series, has revealed that England's cricketers regularly avoid foods for superstitious reasons.
These include foods shaped like the dreaded zero, such onion rings and Polo mints.
On the Love Cricket podcast, former England bowler Stuart Broad asked Buttler: 'Batters and bowlers won't eat duck during a game, night before a game?'
Buttler said: 'I remember the first time it happened to me. I wasn't superstitious. First time I was playing at Lord's, everyone says how good the food is. I was like "I'm not superstitious, I'll have the duck".
'I spent an hour worrying about getting a duck. I got off the mark and then got out the next ball, I think just from the pure relief. From then on, I was never having duck again.
'Onion rings are another one - zero. Polos. If you're an Australian chef, you're putting the duck special on for free!'
