Steve Smith has provided a welcome update after suffering a gruesome compound dislocation to his right little finger during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against South Africa at Lord’s. The veteran batter confirmed he will not require surgery, but will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, ruling him out of the ongoing Major League Cricket (MLC) stint and almost confirming his unavailability for the West Indies Test series later this month.
How did Steve Smith get injured?
The 36-year-old was injured while fielding in the slips on Day 3 as he attempted a sharp chance offered by South Africa captain Temba Bavuma off Mitchell Starc.
Fielding unusually close with a helmet due to Lord’s variable bounce, Smith misjudged the dipping edge, missed the catch, and suffered a nasty finger dislocation.
“I was standing pretty close with the helmet on and as we saw throughout the game a lot of nicks went short of first and second slip,” Smith said after the loss as per the ICC.
“The plan was to stand pretty close and I lost sight of it with the angle that Mitchell Starc was bowling and it kind of went inside Bavuma’s hip and I didn’t quite see it until really late and it kind of dipped on me a little bit late too as well.”
“Probably the best result I could have hoped for”
Smith was taken to hospital where the wound was cleaned, stitched, and the finger placed in a splint. While the visual of the injury was concerning, Smith confirmed surgery won’t be necessary.
“I will be in a splint for eight weeks now and I may be able to play with it in a couple of weeks,” he revealed. “It will depend on my functionality and what I am able to do, so it was probably the best result I could have hoped for.”
Smith has himself given a timeframe of at least two weeks, that too, considering everything goes in an ideal way for him. That means he’s bound to miss Australia’s opening match of the WTC 2025-27 cycle, which is against the West Indies. The first match will be played in Barbados on June 25, just ten days from now. Smith’s planned participation in Major League Cricket with Washington Freedom is now officially off the table as well.
Smith’s injury adds to a mixed history at Lord’s, a venue where he’s experienced both triumph and turmoil. Notably, he suffered a concussion here in 2019 during the Ashes and now departs again with his immediate playing future in doubt.
“Probably the best result”: Steve Smith provides update for gruesome injury; won’t play MLC & next Test Inside Sport India.
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