Steve Smith ruled out? The Australian captain issues an official update on the availability of the Boxing Day Test in Ashes

Australian vice-captain Steve Smith has been cleared to play in the iconic Boxing Day Test against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, starting on December 26. Steve Smith also opened up about a “weird” episode of vestibular dysfunction that threatened and worsened his return during training in Adelaide.

Australia’s batting force suffered from vestibular problems which worsened during four days of training at the Adelaide Oval. Unlike previous bouts of vertigo, this time the problem was more serious and he ultimately decided to withdraw from the third Ashes 2025-26 Test.

Steve Smith reveals ‘weird’ health scare as he prepares for Boxing Day test

The Australian vice-captain struggled to pick up the ball early, felt heavy in his head, couldn’t concentrate well and became unusually exhausted even after short training sessions. Every time he lifted his head to look at a delivery, his vision felt out of sync.

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The symptoms worsened despite repeated attempts to exercise. Batting sessions, light activity and even a round of golf made him feel worse. Later, Smith underwent medical checks that required him to wear vestibular glasses to help doctors better identify the cause of his problems.

The right-handed batsman was put on a strict recovery plan that included eye-tracking exercises, laser-guided exercises, balance control and neck strengthening exercises. The veteran batsman has a history of head bumps and balance problems, but this episode was different and surprised him.

I was a little worried”: Steve Smith’s vestibular battle

Now Smith has been cleared to play at the MCG, and he has also debunked rumors of concussion during the net session and confirmed the problem was purely vestibular. The Australian vice-captain was quoted by The Age: “I’ve had a few different things with my head in the past: head bumps, some vestibular stuff, some dizziness. This time it was more vestibular stuff.”

Smith further explained, “I still talk to people about it. I have some training exercises I have to do, tracking things, wearing goggles with a laser on them, drawing different shapes and things like that. So it will be a little bit of that, strengthening my neck. Fingers crossed that it’s gone and never comes back. That would be fun.”

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The Aussie star also revealed that the eye black he used during the day-night test in Brisbane will now be something he continues to use regularly in his kit. He shared: “The black things I wore under my eyes, I am 100 percent sure they worked, and I think I will bring them out in normal night matches against the white ball as well.”

Steve Smith also defended England head coach Brendon McCullum’s ‘over-prepared’ comment made after losing the first two Tests Down Under. The veteran batsman explained that he has reduced the amount of training he does to keep his body fresh.

He concluded by saying, “I think sometimes, especially when you’re losing, you almost try too much and too hard, and you lose sight of the fact that you want to be mentally fresh when you go into the middle. Sometimes you just try too hard to get yourself in that frame of mind, and you’re basically cooked when you go into the middle to try to perform under pressure. I’ve learned that over time.”