Lord’s, London – A concerning incident marred Day 3 of the ICC World Test Championship Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s, as star Australian batter Steve Smith sustained a serious finger injury while fielding at first slip. The injury, a compound dislocation of his right little finger, has ruled him out of the remainder of the pivotal match and casts a major doubt over his participation in Australia’s upcoming tour of the West Indies.
The incident occurred during South Africa’s second innings when, with Temba Bavuma on just two, Mitchell Starc found an outside edge that flew sharply towards Smith at first slip. In an attempt to negate the lack of carry on the Lord’s pitch, Smith was positioned unusually close to the stumps and was wearing a helmet. Despite getting his hands to the ball, it struck his little finger awkwardly, leading to a gruesome dislocation.
Smith immediately fell to the ground in visible pain, clutching his hand. He was quickly attended to by Australian medical staff on the field before being escorted off for further assessment. Reports later confirmed he was sent to a nearby hospital for X-rays and treatment. Australian assistant coach Daniel Vettori stated in the post-match press conference that the team was “not up to speed in terms of how gruesome the injury was” until further information came from the hospital.
