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Steve Smith reaches 11,000 Test runs, then ends the day in a neck brace
Smith battled neck pain through an 88-ball 28 at Gqeberha and could not bat when Australia followed on. South Africa's Anrich Nortje also left the field with a groin injury.
Key points
- Steve Smith passed 11,000 Test runs during his first-innings 28.
- He was unable to bat in the second innings and watched from the dressing room in a neck brace.
- Anrich Nortje left the field with a right groin injury.
Steve Smith reached 11,000 runs in Test cricket on Wednesday, but the milestone came on a painful day for him and for Australia at St George’s Park.
Smith was troubled by his neck throughout his first innings against South Africa, needing several visits from the medical staff during a stay of 88 balls. He made 28, the top score in Australia’s 99 all out, before he fell to Wiaan Mulder.
When South Africa enforced the follow-on, Smith did not come out to bat. By late afternoon he was watching from the dressing room wearing a light-green neck brace. There was no word on a diagnosis by the close of play.
His absence leaves Australia a batter short as they try to save the second Test on the final day. They closed on 156 for 4, still 170 behind, with Travis Head unbeaten on 87.
Nortje hurt too
South Africa have a fitness concern of their own. Anrich Nortje, who took the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne in the first innings, left the field with a right groin injury, which could leave Temba Bavuma a fast bowler short as his side chase six more wickets on Thursday.
Both teams will want answers quickly. Australia lead the three-match series 1-0, and the final Test starts at Newlands in Cape Town on 27 October, leaving little time for either player to recover.