Pak vs Aus: Steve Smith out of ODIs, T20 to manage elbow injury
Cricket
He'll be replaced by Queensland leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson in the squad.
LAHORE (Dunya News) - Steve Smith will miss Australia’s one-day internationals and T20 clashes against Pakistan, stepping away to manage some niggling discomfort caused by a slight elbow injury.
After playing a part in their Test triumph in Pakistan, the 32-year-old batting star will return home after deciding not to risk aggravating any problem in the left elbow, which he injured last year.
He’ll be replaced by Queensland leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson in the squad, who’ll play three ODIs (29, 31 March and 2 April) and a T20 (5 April) in Lahore.
Smith joins fellow star players like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell in missing the white-ball leg of the tour, and the news comes just days after Kane Richardson was ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
Smith, expressing his disappointment at not playing in the four white-ball matches, said it wasn’t a major issue, but he didn’t want to risk it becoming one.
It was revealed after Australia’s win in the third Test in Lahore, which earned them a rare 1-0 win in Pakistan, that Smith had experienced some discomfort during the three-match series.
With a packed international schedule over the next 18 months, it was felt important that a complete recovery was made the priority for the man who reached 8000 Test runs in fewer innings than anyone in the history of the game during the Lahore Test.
"It’s disappointing to miss these matches against Pakistan but after chatting with the medical staff, I can see the need to take a break at this time," said Smith.
