India vs Australia: Clouds of injury hang over Australian hitter Steve Smith ahead of the Border-Gavaskar series. Smith did not attend the Australian net session before the first test.
Australia’s star hitter Steve Smith. (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHT
- Smith did not attend the Australian net session before the first test
- Smith had pinched his back as he bent down to pick up a ball.
- An injury to Steve Smith would be a major concern for Australia
Australia star Steve Smith is under a cloud of injuries ahead of the Border-Gavaskar series after failing a regular net in the team’s main training session prior to the first test against India in Adelaide.
According to a spokesperson for the Australian team, Smith had pinched his back when bending over to pick up a ball. Smith was present for the first warm-ups, but returned to the locker room only 10 minutes into the session.
An injury to Steve Smith would be a major concern for the hosts and their already decimated batting lineup. In particular, Australia no longer has the services of David Warner, Will Pucovski and Cameron Green (concussion) for the day and night test match against India.
Cricket Australia officials have played down Smith’s concerns about injuries and said he is expected to hit the nets on Wednesday. However, his injury is deeply concerning given the already devastated nature of the Australian team’s injuries.
Australia has not yet reached its starting combination as both David Warner and Pucovski are expected to return only for the second test. Marcus Harris will likely get the nod alongside Joe Burns, but the two hitters were struggling to get the bat on the ball against the Indian attack in the pink ball warm-up match.
Australian Test Team: Tim Paine (c), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith , Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner.
