Cricket Australia provides update on Steve Smith’s injury

LONDON: The Cricket Australia (CA) on Friday, confirmed experienced batter Steve Smith suffered a compound dislocation of his little finger while attempting a catch during the ongoing third day of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa here at The Lord’s Cricket Ground.

The incident occurred in the 20th over of South Africa’s second innings as Mitchell Starc managed to draw a thick outside edge off skipper Temba Bavuma’s bat, which hurried towards Smith, standing in close at slip with a helmet on.

The ball’s pace and height presumably took the veteran by surprise, resulting in him dropping the crucial catch as Bavuma was batting at just two at that time.

Besides grassing the opportunity, Smith also hurt himself in the process as he took a gruelling blow on one of his fingers.

The 36-year-old was seen dealing with excruciating pain afterwards and began to leave the field even before the medical team could reach him.

"He was assessed by Australian team medical staff at the ground and taken to the hospital for X-rays and further treatment," a CA spokesperson said.

Steve Smith’s dropped catch has thus far proved costly for the defending champions as Bavuma has registered a half-century but it would also create a void in Australia’s batting order for the upcoming tour of West Indies, slated to get underway on June 25 in Barbados.

When this story was filed, the Proteas were well-positioned at 185/2 while chasing 282, needing 97 more runs with eight wickets in hand.

Earlier, Australia were bowled out for 207 after resuming their second innings from 144/8 through Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc, who top-scored with an unbeaten 58.