Australia’s interim head coach, Andrew McDonald, confirmed, on Wednesday, that Test vice-captain, Steve Smith, has recovered from the latest concussion episode and is available for the tour of Pakistan next month.
Speaking to the media, Andrew said that Smith’s concussion diagnosis had confirmed that he would require six to seven days for complete recovery.
“The right-handed batter is now fully-fit and available for the upcoming tour,” Andrew said.
Smith had hit his head hard on the SCG turf in an attempt to stop a six near the fence during the second T20I against Sri Lanka.
Steve Smith will miss the rest of the T20 series against Sri Lanka with concussion. https://t.co/5zYfOfohG3 #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/bWotaLt2YB
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) February 14, 2022
“Smith will be subject to low-level protocols for the next few days until he recovers in 6-7 days,” Cricket Australia had said in a brief statement after the injury. Subsequently, he was ruled out of the remaining T20I games against Sri Lanka.
Smith has a history of concussions, and this was the third one in recent times. His first concussion came when he was subbed out of the Ashes Test at Lord’s in 2019 after being hit by England’s Jofra Archer. The blow on the head forced him out of the following Test at Headingley.
The 32-year-old then suffered another knock during a practice session at Old Trafford ahead of the limited-overs series in 2020 and missed the entire ODI series against England.
