Australia were dealt a major blow ahead of the third Ashes Test against England after Steve Smith was ruled out of the match due to symptoms of ‘nausea and dizziness’.
Smith captained Australia in place of the injured Pat Cummins as the hosts went 2-0 up in the series with a pair of comprehensive wins in both Perth and Brisbane.
But Smith, the world’s number three hitter, was battling an illness and had to skip practice on Monday.
Some reports suggested that Smith’s absence could be related to the concussion protocol. On the eve of the match in Adelaide, photos circulated on social media showing the 33-year-old batsman lying on his back in the nets.
However, an official statement from Cricket Australia said: ‘For the past few days he has been feeling unwell, with symptoms including nausea and dizziness.
‘He was closely assessed and monitored and was almost available to play. However, given the persistent symptoms, it was decided not to proceed further.
‘He is being treated for a possible vestibular problem. This is something that Steve has experienced on occasion in the past and is being dealt with accordingly.”
There are hopes that Smith will be available for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
The loss of Smith sees Usman Khawaja return to the Australian squad after initially being left out of the XI.
The 38-year-old veteran is expected to start fourth in place of Smith, while Travis Head will join Jake Weatherald at the top of the rankings.
A dejected-looking Smith was seen crossing the outfield from the Australian dressing room just before the match on day one at the Adelaide Oval – and Cummins confirmed his absence from the toss.
In the opening Test in Perth, Smith contributed 17 and 2* with the bat as Australia strolled to an eight-wicket victory in just two days.
Earlier in Brisbane, the Australian stand-in skipper made 61 and 23* in his two innings.
England have made just one change to the team that lost at the Gabba last time out, with pace bowler Josh Tongue replacing Gus Atkinson in attack.
Mark Waugh, who played 128 Tests for Australia, said the loss of Smith came as a “huge blow”.
‘There is a bit of mystery about the actual disease, but it is a huge blow to Australia. Steve Smith is the batting cornerstone,” he said on Fox Sports’ live coverage of the Test.
“That’s a big loss for Australia, but of course Pat Cummins will be back.
‘But to lose your number one batsman on the eve of such a big Test match… you can see Steve Smith is disappointed.’
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