RACE AGAINST TIME

Concussed Smith hopeful of playing Leeds Test

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

Steven Smith has a very short turnaround time before the start of the next Test to regain full recovery © Getty

Steve Smith admitted that his concussion test results had "declined a little bit" on Sunday (August 18), which led to him being ruled out of the final day's play in the Lord's Test. Smith was replaced by Marnus Labuschagne, who became the first-ever concussion substitute to be used in a Test match.

The Australian batsman had returned to bat after being retired hurt following a blow to his neck off a fiery short-pitched delivery from Jofra Archer on the fourth day. His reappearance in the middle was a result of the team doctor clearing him of suffering from a concussion after a number of assessments. Smith, however, revealed that he'd gone to bed with a headache and woken up "groggy" on Sunday morning.

"I started to feel a little bit of a headache coming on last night, probably as the adrenaline got out of my system. I was able to get a good sleep in, which is somewhat rare for me. But woke up feeling a little bit groggy and with a headache again, so had some tests done and upon some further assessments deemed to be a mild concussion unfortunately and have been ruled out for the rest of this Test match," he said.

He also added that the doctor had conducted tests on him on Saturday night and on the morning of the fifth day of the Test when the results had changed.

"The doc's had a pretty close eye on me since I came off the field yesterday and I've been assessed and asked a lot of questions over the last 20 hours or thereabouts, and unfortunately I've declined in the way I've felt over that time," said Smith.

There had been some controversy over the former Aussie captain's decision to walk out to bat a second time even though it was revealed that he'd cleared all tests. And Smith said that he had felt "normal and fine" and ready to take on the bowling.

"Yesterday when I came off the ground the results were normal. I passed all the tests and felt fine, felt normal. I was allowed to go back out and bat, upon discussions with the team doctor and the coach as well. They were both happy and I was comfortable as well, so we were all happy and I was able to go out and continue batting," he said.

"I didn't have any real pain in my neck yesterday when I touched it or when anyone else touched it. Today I do have a bit of pain there, whether that's some swelling or what I'm not sure. Perhaps that's leading to me having a headache and feeling a bit groggy," he added.

With the third Test in Leeds now only four days away, it's unlikely there's enough time for Smith to pass all the tests necessary to be deemed fit to play. Not surprisingly, even Smith didn't sound too confident of jumping through the necessary hoops and being available for selection in time for Headingley.

"It's obviously a quick turnaround between Test matches. I'm going to be assessed over the next five or six days, each day a couple times a day to see how I'm feeling and progressing and I'm hopeful I will be available for that Test match, but it's certainly up to the medical staff and we'll have conversations. It's certainly an area of concern, the concussion, and I want to be 100% fit," he said.

"I've got to be able to train probably a couple of days out and face fast bowling to make sure my reaction time and all that kind of stuff is in place. There are a few tests I'll have to tick off and I guess time will tell," he added.

When Smith was struck on his neck just below the ear, there was an immediate recall to the horrific blow that the late Philip Hughes had received in a similar spot before unfortunately passing away. And on Sunday, Archer had revealed that "everyone's heart skipped a beat" at that point. Stem guards, which protect that part of the neck, had become a necessary addition to their helmets for a number of batsmen around the world following that tragedy. But Smith defended his decision not to be one of them insisting that he'd felt "claustrophobic" whenever he'd tried using stem guards.

"I along with a few other players in the team find it a little bit different, uncomfortable to what we're used to, and for me I feel a little bit claustrophobic when it is on, I feel like I'm enclosed and not overly comfortable. But it's certainly something I need to probably have a look at and perhaps try in the nets and see if I can find a way to get comfortable with it," he said.

Smith had also suffered a painful blow to the arm prior to being struck down by Archer. He'd carried on batting though after covering his forearm with a padded brace. He'd then spent most of his time away from the middle icing his arm before coming out to bat. But he revealed that he had a lot more movement in it on Sunday and that it was feeling better.

"The arm feels pretty good today. It's quite a good bruise I have on it and it's feeling a lot better. The movement I have in it is far greater than I had yesterday and that feels really good," he said.

© Cricbuzz

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