Steve Smith faces a race against time to be fit for Australia’s tour of Pakistan as he recovers from a concussion which has left him feeling “rattled”.
Smith was ruled out of the remaining three T20 internationals against Sri Lanka this week after a frightening fall in the field following an acrobatic catch attempt.
Australia is set to depart for Pakistan inside the next two weeks, and while Cricket Australia is hopeful that the former captain will be able to fly, he will need to be completely symptom free to take the flight.
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“Flying can exacerbate concussion,” former Australian team doctor Peter Brukner told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. “There is reduced oxygen and you’re sitting still.
“You’d hope he’d be OK but every concussion is different and he’s had a few now. He’ll be closely monitored like a player who would need to be 100 per cent to return to play.”
The first Test against Pakistan is set to get underway on March 4 in Rawalpindi, giving Smith an 18-day window to be deemed fully concussion-free to be able to take to the field once again.
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Sunday’s concussion was the third Smith has endured in the space of three years after being hit on the head while batting on two other separate occasions.
While Smith tweeted saying that he “will be OK” after his head knock, teammate Josh Inglis gave an insight into just how groggy the Australian star was after the second T20.
“We spoke to ‘Smudge’ last night. I’m pretty sure he knocked himself out when he hit his head,” he said ahead of the third T20 in Canberra.
“Fingers crossed for Steve. Hopefully, he’s OK and pulls up well over the next few days. I haven’t seen him today. I didn’t see him much last night. I think he was a bit spaced.
“It was a brilliant piece of work. It was six in the end, which was unfortunate. That would have won the game for us if the ball managed to stay in.
“He was a bit rattled. Obviously, he hit his head hard. He wasn’t in a great space. We’ll see how he is in the next few days.”