Steve Smith has avoided surgery after the compound dislocation to his right little finger, which he sustained during the third day of the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s. But his fitness for Australia’s upcoming Test tour of the West Indies is still in doubt.
The accident happened when Smith was trying to make a sharp catch of Temba Bavuma, but the ball burst through his hands, dislocating the painful finger. He was rushed to the hospital immediately, where the wound was cleaned, stitched, and the finger put into a splint. Although surgery has been eliminated, the splint has to be worn for between seven and eight weeks, although the laceration will heal in two weeks as reported by ESPNCricinfo
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“He’s positive,” Pat Cummins said. “I think it’s somewhere around the 10 days to two weeks. Then maybe you try and bat with a splint and see how that looks. I think it’s a bit of a wait and see. I’d say first Test, maybe unlikely, and then kind of go from there. It’s a bit early just to tell.” as mentioned by ESPNCricinfo
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If Smith can withstand batting with the splint, a comeback is likely. But there are concerns regarding his fielding capabilities especially at the slips, where hand movement is important. With the opening Test against West Indies to start on June 25 in Barbados, the window of recovery looks minimal. Two more games in Grenada and Jamaica are coming up in July.
