Veteran Australian batter Steve Smith provided an update on his injury, which he sustained on his finger during their World Test Championship final defeat against South Africa at Lord’s. On the third day of the match, Smith was sent to the hospital after he sustained a compound dislocation of his right little finger while fielding in the slip cordon as well. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma edged the ball towards Smith, who tried to grab it with quick reflexes but fumbled it, hurting his finger in the process.

“I will be in a splint for eight weeks now, and I may be able to play with it in a couple of weeks. It will depend on my functionality and what I am able to do, so it was probably the best result I could have hoped for,” Steve Smith revealed after Australia’s five-wicket defeat to the Proteas at Lord’s, as quoted from the ICC.

However, Smith’s dropped chance proved too costly for Australia, as the South African captain went on to score 66(134) and forge a match-winning partnership with Aiden Markram, who smashed a hundred as well.

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“I was standing pretty close with the helmet on, and as we saw throughout the game, a lot of nicks went short of first and second slip. The plan was to stand pretty close, and I lost sight of it with the angle that Mitchell Starc was bowling, and it kind of went inside Bavuma’s hip,” Smith said.

“I didn’t quite see it until really late and it kind of dipped on me a little bit late too as well. It was tricky, it didn’t go in my hand very well, and fortunately, there is no break there, and it just split the skin and dislocated it, which made me feel pretty ill at that stage,” he further added.

Steve Smith has also developed mixed emotions about the ‘Home of Cricket’ while taking about his past exploits. In 2019, he was struck on the head by a short-pitched delivery from England tearaway Jofra Archer a swell.

“I have a love/hate relationship with this place now. I have had some good memories here and some not so good ones as well. Getting hit in the head by Jofra (Archer) in 2019 and now having my digit knocked off out here yesterday as well. But it’s a wonderful place to play cricket, and I have enjoyed it here, and it was a real good game of cricket again,” Steve Smith concluded.