Gqeberha, Oct 18 (IANS) Australia veteran batter spoke about his recent concussion scare when he was hit on the helmet during the first Test against South Africa in Durban.
Smith, who has been troubled with concussion-related vertigo symptoms in the past, revealed that he felt anxious after his recent head knock but was thankful to be facing no further trouble.
He was hit by a bouncer from Anrich Nortje during Day 4 of the Durban Test and continued batting after the physio checked on him. He did not take the field on Day 4 when the Aussies bowled but was back in the slips on Day 5 as Australia registered a strong win.
Speaking ahead of the delayed start of the second Test against South Africa at the St George’s Park here, he opened up on his recent head knock.
“I was a little bit anxious to be honest after the hit,” he told broadcasters ahead of the start of the Day 1 action in the second Test.
“I’ve had a few in the past and had a few concussions. And I really don’t like the way that makes me feel. And I think just the anxiety around it after I got hit.
He hoped not to feel the way that he has felt in the past, but passed the tests and was later allowed to field on Day 5 of the opening Test. “It was a decent knock. And yeah, the rest of that day I wasn’t travelling too well. And I think it was more to do with anxiety of hoping not to feel the way that I’ve felt in the past waking up the next morning and things like that.
“So yeah, fortunately I woke up well. I passed all the tests, and yeah, things recovered pretty quickly,” he added.
Smith has had trouble with concussion and vertigo issues in the past. He experienced vertigo symptoms after landing heavily on his head during a T20I between Australia and Sri Lanka at the SCG in February 2022.
Smith also suffered from vertigo issues during the ODI World Cup 2023 and missed the match against Afghanistan. He was also ruled out of the Adelaide Ashes Test last year against England minutes before the toss due to similar issues.
–IANS
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