Australia will have to wait until December for the return of Steve Smith, as he recovers from a neck injury.
Scans have revealed that he has sustained an injury to the cervical facet joint, which forced him to withdraw from the ongoing decisive Test match against South Africa in Cape Town.
Last week, during the fourth day of the second Test in Gqeberha, Smith experienced neck pain. This issue persisted, leading to limited neck movement and ultimately his exit from the third Test, which began on Tuesday. Subsequent medical evaluations clarified the nature of his injury and provided insight into his recovery timeline.
Cricket Australia confirmed that the 37-year-old will not be available for selection until the upcoming home series. During this time, he will continue with his treatment and rehabilitation. In a statement, Cricket Australia noted, “Steve Smith experienced neck pain on the fourth day of the second Test in Gqeberha. An MRI scan later confirmed the injury to the cervical facet joint. Due to this injury and limited neck movement, he was not fit to play in the current Test match. Steve will continue his treatment and rehabilitation, and we hope he will return fully fit for the upcoming home Test New Zealand.”
Smith’s absence has opened the door for Josh Inglis to return to the Test team. He took full advantage of the opportunity, scoring an unbeaten 85 runs under pressure after Australia lost two early wickets. His performance helped the visiting team reach a score of 330/4, giving them a slender lead of one run in the first innings against South Africa.
This marks Inglis’s first Test since the final match of last year’s Ashes series. His ability to settle in quickly and handle pressure has earned him praise from teammate Matthew Renshaw. Renshaw remarked that the right-handed batsman did exactly what Australia needed at that moment.
Renshaw stated, “He is a very talented player; we’ve seen him perform well in various white-ball formats. When we took the field today, we were under a bit of pressure after losing two wickets quickly. However, the way he batted was very positive. It was exactly the kind of innings we needed.”