Australia is counting on Steve Smith to return from injury and play on past this summer for blockbuster Test tours of India and England.
The 37-year-old batting great ruled himself out of the recent series-deciding third Test against South Africa at Newlands, which Australia lost by 176 runs.
Scans uncovered joint damage in the vice-captain’s neck, with his range of movement further impeded after having a pain-blocking needle in a last-ditch bid to play.
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Chair of selectors George Bailey revealed Smith, who tallied just 83 runs across four innings in South Africa, had met with a specialist.
“Just chatting to him in New York, he’s had some specialist appointments there and some progress … in terms of getting to the root of what might have been causing him some trouble in South Africa,” Bailey told reporters on Monday.
“So hopefully that continues to trend in the right direction. His plan is he’ll … be available for (Sheffield) Shield (round) five.”
Smith will look to play his way back into form at the domestic level before Australia hosts New Zealand for a four-Test series this summer.
While Smith has framed his future as a series-by-series proposition, Bailey is banking on him not calling time on his storied career at summer’s end.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Bailey said when asked if he was budgeting on the veteran to push on for Test tours of India and England in 2027.
“I certainly haven’t had any discussions with him to suggest otherwise.
“As I said, the information that he shared from New York post those specialist updates are positive.”
Smith has been back in the headlines following explosive revelations from Usman Khawaja about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal ahead of the retired Test opener’s memoir being released.
Suspensions were only metered out to Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft following an official Cricket Australia investigation, but Khawaja claims the entire team was responsible.
Smith’s NSW teammate Nic Maddinson, who opened for Australia in Durban and Gqeberha before being dropped, said it wasn’t helpful for the trio to relive the drama.
“Obviously the crowds weren’t as hostile (in South Africa) maybe as what people expected,” he said.
“But that stuff’s still there every day at airports, and the general public making comments here and there.
“So, I guess over time it still wears them down, and to just pop up again at the start of a summer, going into a pretty big six months for the team, is obviously probably disappointing for those guys.”
