Australian batsman Steve Smith was not picked in the recently announced squad for the white-ball tours of West Indies and Bangladesh. Smith missed out on the series due to his elbow injury, which has given birth to some doubts over his participation in the T20 World Cup 2021 and home Ashes series later this year.
“Steve Smith was unavailable for selection due to an elbow injury and will now be able to use this time to fully recover ahead of the World Cup and home Ashes series. Steve was disappointed to miss the tour with the decision made on medical grounds,” said head selector Trevor Hohns in a statement quoted by Cricket.com.au while announcing the squad.
Smith’s injury occurred during the SCG Test against India earlier this year which kept him out of action in February and March before he went to India to play the fourteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
However, Smith’s injury resurfaced after playing few matches for Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2021 before the season was postponed.
“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how long or how serious it is, but it’s something he’s had before and definitely flared up again in the IPL,” said Hohns as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Hohns mentioned that he has no idea how much time Smith’s injury will take to recover, but they hope to see him fit for the T20 World Cup and the much-awaited Ashes series.
“How long it will take to get it completely right I can’t tell you at the moment, I’ve had no further advice on that, but the main thing is for Steven, from our view, is to make sure he is fit for the T20 World Cup and of course the Ashes,” Hohns added.
Smith’s presence in the team is essential for Australia as he brings stability in the batting order, be it playing the limited-overs games or donning the whites.
