Smith confident of Test fitness after vertigo setback

Steve Smith has revealed the concussion he sustained in a fielding mishap last month led to a repeat of the debilitating vertigo symptoms that have troubled him in the past, and which have been linked to previous head knocks.

However, the former Australia captain confirmed today he was free from discomfort and "feeling good" ahead of his team's first training session of the Qantas Tour of Pakistan, and expects to be passed fit to play in the opening Test starting in Rawalpindi on Friday.

Smith confirmed he was rendered unconscious "for a couple of seconds" after landing heavily in an attempt to take an outfield catch during the second Dettol Series T20I between Australia and Sri Lanka at the SCG more than two weeks ago.

At the time, the 32-year-old was treated by team medical staff as he lay on the field beyond the boundary rope and was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the Dettol Series having sustained a number of head knocks in recent years.

The most brutal of those was the blow he copped from England quick Jofra Archer at Lord's during the 2019 Ashes campaign, which led to Smith becoming the first player in Test history to be substituted out of a game due to concussion.

He was sidelined from the next Test of that series due to the injury, and the following year almost missed an ODI against India in Sydney when he woke on the morning of the game suffering vertigo and vomiting due to the formation of small crystals known as 'ear rocks' in his middle ear.

Medical experts believe head trauma resulting in concussion can also cause debris within the inner canal to break free, and these 'ear rocks' can sometimes disrupt the body's vestibular system resulting in dizziness and its associated symptoms.

Smith said today he suffered another bout of vertigo days after the latest concussion incident, but had undergone treatment known as the Epley manoeuvre (where a patient's head is carefully manipulated to enable relocation of the 'ear rock' crystals) and quickly improved.

While he only faced spin bowlers and side-arm throw-downs in the MCG practice nets in the days prior to the team's departure for Pakistan last week, he expects to be subjected to a lengthy batting stint against Australia's quicks at today's training session at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Once he has completed that final item on the concussion recovery check list, he will be passed fit to play.

"I think I actually knocked myself out for a couple of seconds there," Smith said of his most recent concussion scare, albeit the first to have occurred due to a fielding incident.

"Then, then when I came to, I was in a bit of a weird state and I knew straight away that I was likely concussed after having quite a few knocks to the head.

"It was just headaches, a bit of drowsiness and then a couple of Fridays ago I had a vertigo incident where I was struggling for a bit that day.

"But I had the Epley manoeuvre and got the crystals back where they're supposed to be in the inner ear.

"That's not a very comfortable place to be, I tell you that.

"After that, things settled down and I've progressed really nicely.

"I've been able to do all the exercise stuff that I've needed to do to get myself back to that ready-to-play state.

"I've done a lot of stuff where I've got my heart rate up to a good amount, brought it back down and that's part of the protocols to getting back to playing.

"I had a couple of good hits in Melbourne before we came away, but today's just about ticking off facing fast bowling and once that's done everything should be fine."

It was not only the prospect of testing himself against a battery of fast bowlers that had Smith excited about the team's maiden training session since arriving in Islamabad last weekend for Australia's first Test tour of Pakistan since 1998.

Having acknowledged he takes pride in his batting performances away from home – his 'away' Test average of 57.10 is second only to Don Bradman's 102.85 among Australia batters to play 20 or more innings abroad – Smith relishes the challenge posed by his first visit to Pakistan.

And given his reputation as one of the game's foremost problem solvers whose capacity to think on his feet and find a way through unforeseen difficulties when at the crease, the combination of unseen pitches, unfamiliar venues and a largely unknown opposition attack presents him with a compelling contest.

"It's something I've prided myself on, being able to adapt 'on the go' to whatever is the circumstance or the surface in front of me," Smith said today.

"I think that's really important to be able to do that really quickly.

"The next few days will be good, being able to have a hit on the surfaces (in Rawalpindi).

"I don't know whether they (practice nets) are going to replicate what we're going to get out in the middle, we'll wait and see.

"I'm just excited to be in Pakistan and bringing Test cricket back here."

In addition to quickly familiarising themselves to alien conditions before the first of three Tests starts at week's end, Australia find themselves in the unaccustomed role of travelling Test team having mounted their most recent overseas campaign in England almost three years ago.

In that series, Smith was the supremely dominant figure with 774 runs at an average of 110 in the four Tests he played, including three hundreds and as many half centuries.

However, in the four Test campaigns he's completed since then – against Pakistan, New Zealand, India and England, all in Australia – the former top-ranked Test batter has returned a more mortal average of almost 37 with his solitary century coming against India at the SCG in January 2021.

And his series average of 30.50 in the recently completed Vodafone Ashes against England represented his leanest result in campaigns where he's batted more than twice since the 23.66 he managed in his final sojourn as skipper, against South Africa in 2018.

Smith acknowledged the paucity of Test cricket Australia has played since his record-breaking Ashes tour to England can partly explain the dip in his prolific run scoring, given his oft-documented need to find his 'hands' and his rhythm by hitting endless balls in the nets and in the middle on match days.

"I love getting on a roll and being able to play a lot of cricket, and just finding my groove," he said.

"It's been an odd couple of years, this is our first away tour since the Ashes in 2019 which is hard to fathom.

"The last away tour, I performed really well in the Ashes and hopefully I can replicate something similar in this series.

"The (recent Australian) summer was pretty tough, the wickets had a fair amount of grass on them and a fair amount of seam movement.

"But I love playing on different surfaces, and all the different challenges of playing on different surfaces around the world.

"Hopefully I hit a lot of balls in the next few days and find a nice rhythm going into the first Test on Friday." 

Qantas Tour of Pakistan 2022

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Wasim, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mahmood. Reserves: Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Haris

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner. On standby: Sean Abbott, Brendan Doggett, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Renshaw

March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi

March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

Australia ODI and T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi

March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi

April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi

April 5: Only T20I, Rawalpindi

All matches to be broadcast in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports