Australian cricketer Steve Smith, who suffered a compound dislocation in his right little finger during the ICC World Test Championship Final against Australia at Lord’s, remains optimistic about playing in the upcoming three-match Test series against West Indies starting June 25. The 36-year-old veteran batter underwent X-ray examination at a nearby hospital after injuring his finger while attempting a catch on Day Three.The initial medical assessment has been favorable for Smith, who fortunately avoided surgery. He will need to wear a splint for eight weeks but could potentially return to play sooner.“I will be in a splint for eight weeks now and I may be able to play with it in a couple of weeks. 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 said.The injury occurred when South Africa captain Temba Bavuma edged a ball off Mitchell Starc‘s bowling. Smith, positioned close at wide first slip wearing a helmet, failed to take the catch when Bavuma was on two runs. The missed opportunity proved costly as Bavuma went on to score 66 runs and formed a crucial match-winning partnership with Aiden Markram.
“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. 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. It was tricky, it didn’t go in my hand very well and fortunately there is no break there and it just split the skin and dislocated it which made me feel pretty ill at that stage,” Smith explained.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?The incident adds to Smith’s complicated history at Lord’s cricket ground. He acknowledged having mixed feelings about the venue due to past experiences.“I have a love/hate relationship with this place now. I have had some good memories here and some not so good ones as well. Getting hit in the head by Jofra (Archer) in 2019 and now having my digit knocked off out here yesterday as well. But it’s a wonderful place to play cricket and I have enjoyed it here and it was a real good game of cricket again,” Smith reflected.The three-match Test series between Australia and West Indies is scheduled to begin on June 25, with Smith’s participation dependent on his recovery progress.
