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Steve Smith consulting specialist in New York for neck injury: George Bailey

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Steve Smith (Source: X@cricketcomau)

Steve Smith (Source: X@cricketcomau)

Mr Cricket UAE Staff

Mr Cricket UAE Staff

Published - 09 Nov 2026, 02:14 PM Read time - 2 mins

Star Australia batter Steve Smith has consulted a specialist in New York about the neck problem that ruled him out of the third and final Test against South Africa in Cape Town. He’s expected to mark his return for New South Wales against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield ahead of the New Zealand Test series.

Smith injured his cervical facet joint after initially feeling pain during the second Test in Gqeberha, which forced him to bat down the order in the second innings. He was expected to be fit for the third Test, but after taking a nerve-block injection on the morning of the game, it was ruled he wouldn't be able to get through the Test.

Recently, Australia’s Chair of selectors revealed that Smith is in New York and has been progressing well.

"Just chatting to him in New York, he's had some specialist appointments there and some progress, I think, in terms of getting to the root of what might have been causing him some trouble in South Africa. So hopefully that continues to trend in the right direction. His plan is he'll… be available for Shield [round] five,” informed George Bailey.

Bailey also mentioned that Smith hasn’t had any discussions around his retirement and will be available for India and England tours in 2027.

"Yeah, absolutely. I certainly haven't had any discussions with him to suggest otherwise. And as I said, the information that he shared from New York post those specialist updates are positive. He has probably been asked about it more specifically than a lot of others. But for someone who's achieved a hell of a lot and I still can see him achieving a hell of a lot more. I think we've got some pretty exciting series coming up. Yeah, I'm confident he'll be a very important part of them,” he added.

Steve Smith didn’t have a memorable series in South Africa, scoring 83 runs across four innings. He’s now in a race against time to be fit for the upcoming four-match Test series against New Zealand beginning on December 9.