Australian batsman Steve Smith has opened up about his reaction when he injured his elbow during the 2024-25 Big Bash League match between the Sydney Sixers and the Sydney Thunder. After suffering the pain, Smith feared it might turn out to be a big one, but he was lucky he didn't do too much damage.
Smith is Australia's stand-in captain for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. As one of the best batsmen in his line-up, he will be crucial to his team's chances in the spin-friendly conditions of Sri Lanka.
After sustaining the injury during the wild BBL game while playing for the Sydney Sixers, it was feared that he had done a major injury to his elbow. He immediately felt the pain when throwing a ball during the match.
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Steve Smith opens up about elbow injury in BBL
While talking about his injury, Steve Smith spoke about his previous injury in 2019 which caused significant ligament damage. However, he was relieved to know that it was only muscle damage and that the ligament was not affected.
“I immediately thought, 'oh my gosh, that hurt.' It was a similar feeling to when I tore my ligament in 2019, so I was a little worried for a little bit,” Smith said.
“But the scans showed, luckily, my ligament is still intact, the one I repaired. I have a small muscle injury and it's a small millimeter of the ligament on the bone that's doing something,” he added.
The injury could have been due to a hit on the shoulder from fast bowler Jhye Richardson in the opening phase of the BBL. The injury bruised his right shoulder and forced him to change his throwing technique.
Smith also made it clear that he is capable of batting despite muscle injuries and is fully available for the next Test series. The 35-year-old is likely to bat at his favorite no. 4 in the batting order.
“As far as batting goes, I'm pretty comfortable, I'll be able to get into it and play with some tape on it,” Smith revealed.
Steve Smith will manage in the absence of Pat Cummins
In the absence of Pat Cummins, Steve Smith will lead Australia in the Test series against Sri Lanka. Cummins decided to quit the series as he is on paternity leave. While his loss will be a significant blow to Australia, Smith is an experienced and capable captain.
He has a great record as a Test cricketer and also a brilliant player of spin. He will start the Test series against Sri Lanka with 9999 runs in 114 Tests at an average of 55.86 with 34 hundreds and 41 fifties.
Steve Smith in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Steve Smith was in poor form before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but played a key role in Australia regaining the title after ten years. The right-hander has scored 314 runs in five Tests at an average of 34.88 with two hundreds to his name.
Although Steve Smith has been cleared to play in the upcoming series in Sri Lanka, he may have to be careful with his bowling. But he is likely to approach the batsmen in the Sri Lankan wickets where the toss may not be an issue.