logo
The 'good result' from Steve Smith's finger dislocation

The 'good result' from Steve Smith's finger dislocation

Perth Now9 hours ago

Star Australia batter Steve Smith has described avoiding surgery on his dislocated finger as a "good result".
The 36-year-old will almost certainly be ruled out of Australia's first Test against West Indies, starting in Barbados on June 25.
But Smith could push to return for the last two matches in the three-Test series if he can manage batting with discomfort.
He will be required to keep his finger in a splint for up to eight weeks after suffering a compound dislocation of his right little finger in the World Test Championship final defeat to South Africa.
"Fortunately there's no break there," Smith said after Australia's shock loss on Sunday.
"It just split the skin and dislocated it, which made me feel pretty ill at that stage.
"In a splint for eight weeks, and maybe able to play with it in a couple of weeks.
"It was probably the best result I could've asked for."
Wearing a helmet in the slip cordon, Smith was standing far closer to the stumps than normal when he dropped Proteas captain Temba Bavuma in the second innings.
Edges regularly dropped short of fielders during the Test, but this one flew towards Smith and he was unable to hang on to it.
He immediately left the field in immense pain after spilling the catch that would have put Australia in the box seat to claim back-to-back WTC titles.
Smith didn't field on Saturday as South Africa pulled off a landmark upset.
"I was obviously standing pretty close with the helmet on there," he said.
"I kind've lost sight of it with the angle Mitchell Starc was bowling, it kind've went inside Bavuma's hip so I didn't actually quite see it until really late.
"It kind've dipped on me a bit late as well.
"It was tricky, obviously didn't go in my hand well."
During the WTC decider, Smith became the highest non-England run-scorer (604) at Lord's.
He made his debut at the famous ground in 2010, and peeled off brilliant centuries in the 2015 and 2023 Ashes.
But his finger injury now adds to the concussion he suffered at Lord's in 2019 when he was hit in the head by a Jofra Archer bouncer.
"I have a love-hate relationship with this place now," Smith said.
"Had some really good memories, not so good ones as well."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

AFL Geelong Cats star Jeremy Cameron drops Bailey Smith truth bomb after big win, Brownlow betting plunge
AFL Geelong Cats star Jeremy Cameron drops Bailey Smith truth bomb after big win, Brownlow betting plunge

Mercury

time5 hours ago

  • Mercury

AFL Geelong Cats star Jeremy Cameron drops Bailey Smith truth bomb after big win, Brownlow betting plunge

Don't miss out on the headlines from AFL. Followed categories will be added to My News. Bailey Smith has earned widespread praise from his teammates after another starring role in Geelong's 95-point thrashing of Essendon on Saturday night. Smith has been in the spotlight ever since his high profile move from the Western Bulldogs, fined for some on-field gestures and drawing concern over a 'nose beers' social media post. It all led to the extraordinary move of a face-to-face meeting with AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon during the week. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. After that chat, and a week off for a hamstring issue, the blond midfielder returned with 41 disposals, six clearances and 760 metres gained in the Cats' 23.13 (151) to 8.8 (56) annihilation of the Bombers at the MCG. After the game, Cats spearhead Jeremy Cameron – who booted six goals for the night – was asked on Fox Footy how Smith handled 'being most talked about player in the game'. 'I think he handles it pretty well, doesn't he?' Cameron replied. 'He's got a good spot there at home when he gets away and when he's at the football club, what he's done for us as players has been absolutely amazing. Bailey Smith of the Cats takes a selfie with fans after Geelong's demoltion of Essendon. (Photo by) 'We've got his back right through whatever it is during the week. We'll always have his back and back him in to do what he does. 'He's brilliant out here on the field, but inside the locker room he's even better, which is hard to believe but it's true. 'We look forward to seeing what he can do in the back half of the year.' Smith and his new midfield teammate Max Holmes are forming a devastating partnership around the ground, with the latter contributing 36 possessions, eight clearances and 871 metres gained of his own. Fox Footy were keen to push the 'Dash brothers' tag on the emerging duo and Holmes had a cheeky dig at Smith when asked about him post-match. Smith had 41 disposals against the Bombers. (Photo by) One half of Geelong's 'Dash Brothers', Max Holmes had 36 touches himself.. (Photo by) 'I shook my head because he came off with 39 (disposals) and he wasn't supposed to go back on,' Holmes said. 'Clearly he was thinking about my 40 last week, so he wanted to out do me. Little so and so there. 'He cops it in the media and pretty unfairly a lot of the time. 'It's great to see him just shut out the noise on game day and play good footy. 'With Bailey in the side hopefully we're a better team than last year.' During the week, Dillon reiterated to Smith his importance as a role model after some of his recent acts had overstepped the mark. But his coach Chris Scott felt like it should be viewed in a positive light and nothing to generate negative talk. 'I don't think (Smith) felt like there was focus on him,' Scott said. 'I understand that there were questions around it, but I thought it was more the interest in something that's a bit unusual, like a conversation around the fire that didn't really light very well. 'It's rare for an AFL CEO to do that with a young player. 'We appreciated it, it was a step in the right direction, but maybe I misread it and I don't follow much of that stuff, but I didn't feel like it was a negative that would've put pressure on him. AFL CEO Andrew Dillon (right) met with Bailey Smith at his home last week. (Photo by) 'If there's a bit of a sense that there's some controversy in a negative sense towards him, I don't think we're feeling it, or I'm not seeing it anyway, but sometimes coaches are the last to know.' As is always the case with the 24-year-old Smith, he drew a wide range of comments online after his latest impressive display on the field. One tweet declared: 'Bailey Smith is gonna win the Brownlow isn't he.' Another said: 'Bailey Smith is easily the best player in the league right now, bar none!' A third agreed, saying: 'Bailey Smith might actually be a lock for the Brownlow.' Smith is now a $3 favourite for the Brownlow Medal with Sportsbet, ahead of Adelaide's Jordan Dawson ($3.75) and Collingwood's Nick Daicos ($5.50). Smith had odds as long as $51 with some bookies pre-season. Jeremy Cameron kicked another bag of goals to lead the Coleman Medal. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) Yet others weren't quite so convinced about his stats and overall impact. 'Bailey Smith the master of the stat pad. Handballs to someone under pressure to get the handball receive every single time,' came one observation. 'Even though he's so impactful, it feels like Bailey Smith wanders around and gets lost within the game,' suggested another. 'Bailey Smith would average 150 if he could kick,' offered a SuperCoach fan. Sitting second on the ladder, the Cats next face a huge Friday night clash with reigning premiers Brisbane in Geelong on June 20. - with NewsWire Originally published as Geelong teammates support Bailey Smith amid mammoth betting plunge

Australian Test cricket crisis laid bare as major shake-up looms, World Test Championship final, South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, latest team news, updates
Australian Test cricket crisis laid bare as major shake-up looms, World Test Championship final, South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, latest team news, updates

Daily Telegraph

time6 hours ago

  • Daily Telegraph

Australian Test cricket crisis laid bare as major shake-up looms, World Test Championship final, South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, latest team news, updates

Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News. COMMENT As Australia licks its wounds from an embarrassing five-wicket World Test Championship final defeat at the hands of South Africa, changes are already being discussed both internally and externally. But there isn't long for Australian selectors to get their ducks in a row, with the next two-year Test cricket cycle beginning later this month with a three-Test series against the West Indies. There are many things for selectors to mull over, such as who should open the batting, and if it is worth bringing in a second specialist tweaker such as Matt Kuhnemann, with subcontinental conditions usually favouring the tweakers. West Indies vs. Australia Test & T20I Series | Watch every ball LIVE with ESPN, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. But what does not appear to have changed is the selectors' stubbornness in selecting the best six Australian batsmen irrespective of where they usually bat, their age or whether or not they are in form. However, sooner rather than later they will need to look beyond just a single Test series as the reality is they have somewhat screwed themselves by sticking solid with the same group of veterans. The reality is the Australian squad is ageing out and the next generation has been badly devoid of opportunities. The two youngsters blooded last summer, Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas were both dropped despite the former being played in an unfamiliar role as opener and the latter being overlooked for non-openers Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne. That was despite the fact he rattled the world's best bowler in the world Jasprit Bumrah and clearly has immense raw untapped ability. Make that make sense. Australia need to make changes and fast. Image: Getty Aussie fans have been blessed with a strong generation of cricketers, which has resulted in the side taking out major tournament after major tournament until now. The WTC final defeat will be a tough pill to swallow but for Aussie fans, it could be about to get much worse, with years of selection decisions set to come back to bite in the long run. In the World Test Championship, Cam Green was the only Aussie under the age of 30 in the team. And when injuries have presented selectors with the chance to blood youth, instead they routinely turn to the likes of Scott Boland and Michael Neser and others deep into their 30s. It has seen many other fast bowlers come and go as nothing more than Sheffield Shield journeymen and it is even more grim for the batsman. That is why the likes of Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and before them David Warner were almost undroppable. Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw have all come and gone, dropped at the first sign of struggle, while others hold onto their spots regardless of their output. The reality is that come the next WTC final, it would be fair to assume half of the Australian side that lined up this week will be retired, so major changes need to happen sooner rather than later. Josh Inglis could solve Australia's opener woes. (Photo by) Who should Australia select for the West Indies series? Let's start with the openers. It's time to go Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja. Khawaja returned scores of 0 and 6 in the WTC final and has had a very grim few years with the bat, barring one series against Sri Lanka. At 38 years of age, his time has come and gone and luckily for Australia, there is a ready-made replacement in Konstas. The teenager has a lot of work to do granted but there is no shortage of raw talent and competitiveness ready to be moulded into a potentially generational batsman. While fellow WTC final opener Labuschagne is badly out of touch and a stint back in Sheffield Shield could do him the world of good. He is averaging just 25.63 in Tests during the 2024/25 season and looked devoid of all confidence against South Africa. In his place, I would go with Josh Inglis. His rapid-fire century on Test debut in Sri Lanka earlier this year reinforced his credentials as a red ball player and is someone who Australia needs to find a spot for. So why not at opener? Steve Smith is a No. 3 whether he likes it or not. That move would also allow for Cam Green to slot in at his preferred four. However, it is worth noting Smith dislocated his finger in the loss to the Proteas. If he isn't fit I could advocate for Nathan McSweeney to come in. At 26 years old, the batsman's best years are ahead of him and after two strong Sheffield Shield seasons he deserves a proper crack in the Test fold, where he isn't thrown to the wolves facing the new ball. From there I would keep it fairly similar to the side who were beaten by South Africa with Travis Head, Beau Webster and Alex Carey rounding out the middle order. From there, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are all nearly undroppable as is Nathan Lyon. But I could entertain a rotation of one pace bowler getting a rest so tweaker Matt Kuhnemann could make up a two-pronged spin attack with Lyon. Sam Konstas deserves another crack at opener. (Photo by) Nathan McSweeney has been strong at Sheffield Shield level in the past few seasons. (Photo by) Pat Cummins suggests changes are on the cards With the 2027 WTC cycle kicking off when Australia travel to the West Indies, Australian skipper Cummins hinted that changes could be on the cards. 'We've got a couple of weeks before the first Test in the Windies, so we'll sit down and have a bit of a think after we digest this game,' he said. 'But for me, I think a new WTC cycle in some ways does feel like a bit of a reset. 'It's probably more for the selectors and for me to sit down and map it ahead.' Cummins also suggested the likes of Konstas and Inglis could find themselves in the team come the first Test against the Windies. 'Coming to this match, you've got guys like Sam Konstas and Scotty Boland and Josh Inglis, all those guys were right on the fringes,' he said. 'So I think again, after this Test match, everyone gets thrown back into the conversation.' Australia's three-Test series against West Indies in Barbados kicks off on June 25. Predicted Australian XI to face the West Indies 1. Sam Konstas 2. Josh Inglis 3. Steve Smith (or Nathan McSweeney) 4. Cam Green 5. Travis Head 6. Beau Webster 7. Alex Carey 8. Pat Cummins 9. Mitchell Starc 10. Nathan Lyon 11. Josh Hazlewood Originally published as 'Screwed themselves': Aussie crisis laid bare as major Test shake-up looms

Australian Test cricket crisis laid bare as major shake-up looms, World Test Championship final, South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, latest team news, updates
Australian Test cricket crisis laid bare as major shake-up looms, World Test Championship final, South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, latest team news, updates

Herald Sun

time7 hours ago

  • Herald Sun

Australian Test cricket crisis laid bare as major shake-up looms, World Test Championship final, South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, latest team news, updates

Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News. COMMENT As Australia licks its wounds from an embarrassing five-wicket World Test Championship final defeat at the hands of South Africa, changes are already being discussed both internally and externally. But there isn't long for Australian selectors to get their ducks in a row, with the next two-year Test cricket cycle beginning later this month with a three-Test series against the West Indies. There are many things for selectors to mull over, such as who should open the batting, and if it is worth bringing in a second specialist tweaker such as Matt Kuhnemann, with subcontinental conditions usually favouring the tweakers. West Indies vs. Australia Test & T20I Series | Watch every ball LIVE with ESPN, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. But what does not appear to have changed is the selectors' stubbornness in selecting the best six Australian batsmen irrespective of where they usually bat, their age or whether or not they are in form. However, sooner rather than later they will need to look beyond just a single Test series as the reality is they have somewhat screwed themselves by sticking solid with the same group of veterans. The reality is the Australian squad is ageing out and the next generation has been badly devoid of opportunities. The two youngsters blooded last summer, Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas were both dropped despite the former being played in an unfamiliar role as opener and the latter being overlooked for non-openers Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne. That was despite the fact he rattled the world's best bowler in the world Jasprit Bumrah and clearly has immense raw untapped ability. Make that make sense. Australia need to make changes and fast. Image: Getty Aussie fans have been blessed with a strong generation of cricketers, which has resulted in the side taking out major tournament after major tournament until now. The WTC final defeat will be a tough pill to swallow but for Aussie fans, it could be about to get much worse, with years of selection decisions set to come back to bite in the long run. In the World Test Championship, Cam Green was the only Aussie under the age of 30 in the team. And when injuries have presented selectors with the chance to blood youth, instead they routinely turn to the likes of Scott Boland and Michael Neser and others deep into their 30s. It has seen many other fast bowlers come and go as nothing more than Sheffield Shield journeymen and it is even more grim for the batsman. That is why the likes of Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and before them David Warner were almost undroppable. Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw have all come and gone, dropped at the first sign of struggle, while others hold onto their spots regardless of their output. The reality is that come the next WTC final, it would be fair to assume half of the Australian side that lined up this week will be retired, so major changes need to happen sooner rather than later. Josh Inglis could solve Australia's opener woes. (Photo by) Who should Australia select for the West Indies series? Let's start with the openers. It's time to go Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja. Khawaja returned scores of 0 and 6 in the WTC final and has had a very grim few years with the bat, barring one series against Sri Lanka. At 38 years of age, his time has come and gone and luckily for Australia, there is a ready-made replacement in Konstas. The teenager has a lot of work to do granted but there is no shortage of raw talent and competitiveness ready to be moulded into a potentially generational batsman. While fellow WTC final opener Labuschagne is badly out of touch and a stint back in Sheffield Shield could do him the world of good. He is averaging just 25.63 in Tests during the 2024/25 season and looked devoid of all confidence against South Africa. In his place, I would go with Josh Inglis. His rapid-fire century on Test debut in Sri Lanka earlier this year reinforced his credentials as a red ball player and is someone who Australia needs to find a spot for. So why not at opener? Steve Smith is a No. 3 whether he likes it or not. That move would also allow for Cam Green to slot in at his preferred four. However, it is worth noting Smith dislocated his finger in the loss to the Proteas. If he isn't fit I could advocate for Nathan McSweeney to come in. At 26 years old, the batsman's best years are ahead of him and after two strong Sheffield Shield seasons he deserves a proper crack in the Test fold, where he isn't thrown to the wolves facing the new ball. From there I would keep it fairly similar to the side who were beaten by South Africa with Travis Head, Beau Webster and Alex Carey rounding out the middle order. From there, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are all nearly undroppable as is Nathan Lyon. But I could entertain a rotation of one pace bowler getting a rest so tweaker Matt Kuhnemann could make up a two-pronged spin attack with Lyon. Sam Konstas deserves another crack at opener. (Photo by) Nathan McSweeney has been strong at Sheffield Shield level in the past few seasons. (Photo by) Pat Cummins suggests changes are on the cards With the 2027 WTC cycle kicking off when Australia travel to the West Indies, Australian skipper Cummins hinted that changes could be on the cards. 'We've got a couple of weeks before the first Test in the Windies, so we'll sit down and have a bit of a think after we digest this game,' he said. 'But for me, I think a new WTC cycle in some ways does feel like a bit of a reset. 'It's probably more for the selectors and for me to sit down and map it ahead.' Cummins also suggested the likes of Konstas and Inglis could find themselves in the team come the first Test against the Windies. 'Coming to this match, you've got guys like Sam Konstas and Scotty Boland and Josh Inglis, all those guys were right on the fringes,' he said. 'So I think again, after this Test match, everyone gets thrown back into the conversation.' Australia's three-Test series against West Indies in Barbados kicks off on June 25. Predicted Australian XI to face the West Indies 1. Sam Konstas 2. Josh Inglis 3. Steve Smith (or Nathan McSweeney) 4. Cam Green 5. Travis Head 6. Beau Webster 7. Alex Carey 8. Pat Cummins 9. Mitchell Starc 10. Nathan Lyon 11. Josh Hazlewood Originally published as 'Screwed themselves': Aussie crisis laid bare as major Test shake-up looms

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store