Steve Smith has given a shocking update on his availability for the Sri Lanka Tests

Australian batsman Steve Smith has revealed his reaction to injuring his elbow in the 2024-25 Big Bash League match between the Sydney Sixers and the Sydney Thunder. After suffering the pain, Smith feared it might be bigger but was lucky it didn’t take too much damage.

Smith is Australia’s stand-in captain for the Test series against Sri Lanka. Being one of the best batsmen in the line-up, he will be crucial to the team’s fortunes in the spin field in Sri Lanka.

After suffering an injury in a washed-out BBL game while playing for the Sydney Sixers, he was feared to have seriously damaged his elbow. When he threw a ball during the game, he immediately felt the pain.

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Steve Smith is out of the BBL with an elbow injury

Steve Smith talks about injury concerns He spoke about his previous injury in 2019, which caused significant damage to his ligaments. However, he was relieved to learn that it was only a muscle injury, and no damage to the tendon.

“I immediately thought, ‘Oh jeez, that hurt.’ That’s the same feeling as when I tore my hamstring in 2019, so I was a little worried,” Smith said.

“But the scan, fortunately, my tendon is still intact, it’s repaired. I have a small muscle injury, and the small millimeter on the bone is doing something,” he added.

The injury may have been due to a hit on the shoulder from fast bowler Jaye Richardson in the first innings of the BBL. The injury injured his right shoulder and forced him to change his throwing technique.

Smith made it clear that despite the muscle injury, he can bat and is fully available for the upcoming Test series. The 35-year-old can bat at his favorite number 4 in the batting order.

“I’m so comfortable with a beat that I can go into it and play some tape over it,” Smith said.

Steve Smith to lead in the absence of Pat Cummins

In the absence of Pat Cummins, Steve Smith will lead Australia in the Test series against Sri Lanka. Cummins decided to skip the series while on paternity leave. His loss is a huge loss for Australia, but Smith is an experienced and capable captain.

He has a good spin as a test cricketer. He starts the Test series against Sri Lanka with 9999 in 114 Tests at an average of 55.86 with 34 hundreds and 41 fifties.

Steve Smith in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25

Steve Smith was in poor form before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but played a key role in Australia regaining the title after a decade. The right-hander has scored 314 runs at an average of 34.88 in five Tests.

Although Steve Smith has been cleared to play in the upcoming Sri Lanka series, he will have to be careful with his bowling. But he is likely to pitch closer to the bats on Test-friendly wickets in Sri Lanka, where bowling may not be a problem.