Steve Smith Injury Update: A slight niggle to the Australian batsman had sent a significant scare to their fans yesterday.
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Following the footsteps of his head coach Justin Langer, Australia Test captain Tim Paine has all but confirmed the debut of 21-year old all-rounder Cameron Green for the first Test against India in Adelaide starting from tomorrow.
Green, who had suffered a concussion injury after getting hit by Jasprit Bumrah’s shot in the second tour match, will undergo another test on the morning of the match. However, given the manner in which he has been training, there remains little doubt over any fitness-related concern.
“I think he’s pretty good to go, he obviously trained really well with us yesterday, he’s pulled up well this morning, he intends to train again today. So all things going well Cam [Cameron] Green will make his Test debut tomorrow, which is great news for him, great news for us and great news for Australian cricket fans,” Paine said while addressing the reporters in Adelaide.
After a slightly unconventional move of opening the batting with Matthew Wade got validation from former captains in Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke and Langer himself, Paine has also put his weight behind promoting his Tasmania captain as Joe Burns’ opening partner in the first Test.
“He’s certainly an option to open the batting. No doubt about that. I think we’ve got a number of guys who are willing to open the batting. That says a lot about our group, not just Wadey [Matthew Wade]. But Wadey in particular, we saw against New Zealand last year with the short-ball stuff, he’s willing to put his body on the line for his team.
“We know he’s as tough as nails and he’ll do a good job no matter where he bats. Obviously we have got a scenario where we could have a different opener and we’ve had a number of guys put their hand up to do it if that’s the best thing for the team. That’s a great thing for us as a side,” Paine added.
Steve Smith Injury Update
As recent as yesterday, Australia batsman Steven Smith has sent an injury scare after he withdrew from the practice session after a brief 10-minute participation. Smith, who reportedly had a sore back, has the captain’s confidence regarding being absolutely ready for the day-night Test.
“Dave [David Warner] won’t be there but we expect Steve [Steven Smith] to be there. Steve’s had a stiff back a number of times before and you do when you bat at training as much as he does. But his preparation has been very good, he’s batted for the last week since we’ve been in Adelaide, so for him to have a day off might actually be a blessing in disguise yesterday.
“He’s played all the one-dayers, once we got to Adelaide, he batted for four days straight. So his preparation has been pretty good, very good actually. He’s in to train today, so we’ll see how he goes, but come tomorrow, whether he’s fit and sore in the back, or stiff in the back, I think he normally gets up, gets through it and finds a way to score runs like he always does,” Paine mentioned.
