He sustained the dislocation on the second night of the first Test in Multan when he took the catch off Root's bowling that completed Pakistan's first innings. Although England's physician Glen Rae promptly replaced the thumb, Duckett was afraid it would get "very uncomfortable" overnight and was unable to open the batting.
In practice, it healed enough that he could bat with his thumb taped up at No. 4, hitting 40 off the 31 balls he faced from Abrar Ahmed with his usual intensity. Aamer Jamal trapped Duckett's leg before wicket (LBW) earlier this year in Rajkot, giving him his fourth score between 70 and 90 since his last century, just as he appeared to be coasting towards his fourth Test century.
Duckett stated, "I had done the exact same thumb in the same way a couple of years ago." "I could see exactly what was wrong with it when I looked at it. We decided to give it as many hours as possible, chilling it a few times and checking its condition in the morning. Fortunately, there was not much of a change, despite the concern that it would stiffen up.
"I would have definitely taken that [84] when it occurred last night. It goes without saying that I am quite pleased with my current shape. Although I am always very critical of myself and I understand that we have had a fantastic day, I am the first to admit that I have made mistakes in the last few tests.
"Scoring hundreds is something I take great satisfaction in, and it seemed like I was going to miss the ball today. I am very aware of it, and that may be the new aspect of things: the mental aspect of the game of putting yourself in those situations, kicking on, and succeeding."
Not very long ago, Root's own conversion rate was the subject of a similar story: over 2017–20, he reached 50 runs 28 times, but just six of those innings translated to hundreds. However, since 2021, he has developed into a relentless run scorer, amassing 15 50-99 scores and 18 hundreds over that period. Duckett thinks he can pick up that skill from his teammate.
Not very long ago, Root's own conversion rate was the subject of a similar story: over 2017–20, he reached 50 runs 28 times, but just six of those innings translated to hundreds. However, since 2021, he has developed into a relentless run scorer, amassing 15 50-99 scores and 18 hundreds over that period. Duckett thinks he can pick up that skill from his teammate.
He stated, "Kicking on and getting those big scores is the one thing right now." "I would be quite content if I ever ran into that issue. But these things happen and for Rooty, with the amount of cricket you play, you're going to go through periods where you don't get over the line and you're going to have periods - right now - where he's cashing in and scoring hundreds for fun.
"Just having him in the changing room is a delight. You would be unaware of his accomplishments and his demeanor in the dressing room. He is a wonderful man to have and is most likely still working as hard as ever in the nets. It is perhaps a good place for him to be because we joke that he claims to be out of form while he is getting hundreds in Test matches.
Duckett is certain that he will be able to play in Tuesday's second Test despite not having his thumb scanned. His words were, "I want to state 100 %," "Today went well, of course, and I am hopeful that things will grow simpler every day. I believe it is going to be a little sore for a few weeks because there does not seem to be a clean break."
His immediate goal is to assist England in winning the first. Duckett stated, "I would anticipate we will definitely try to bat for quite a lot of tomorrow." To limit the damage and, ideally, put ourselves in a position where we can really push on after lunch and try to score as quickly as possible, we must earn the right to do that and start well in the morning.
"[We must] hope that ten more opportunities will present themselves. Although the pitch is not performing well, you have noticed some fluctuating bounce and a little bit more spin today. We will do all in our power to try and take ten wickets, but it will depend on how quickly we score and how well we start in the morning."