'Felt dizzy': Steve Smith opens up on vertigo battle
What's the story
Australian cricket star Steve Smith has opened up about his battle with vertigo, which kept him out of the 3rd Ashes Test against England at Adelaide Oval. This was the second time in six Tests that Smith had to sit out. He was replaced by Usman Khawaja for the third match of this series. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins returned to lead Australia after recovering from his injury.
Health battle
Struggle with vertigo
Smith, who is now back and will captain Australia in the 4th Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, had earlier dealt with vertigo symptoms in his career. Ahead of the Test, he said he wasn't "tracking the ball well" in the lead-up to the Adelaide Test and told Australian coach Andrew McDonald about his condition. "As soon as I started batting in Adelaide, I didn't feel great," Smith said.
Match experience
Experience with vertigo during the match
Smith recalled feeling dizzy and having trouble focusing on moving targets. "It wasn't the room spinning with the vertigo, which I've had previously, but it's the eye-tracking and not being able to focus on things, particularly moving targets," he said. He added that he felt slow and heavy-headed, which made it difficult for him to play at his usual level.
Management strategy
Plans for management
Smith revealed that he is still consulting with experts about his condition and has some training exercises to do. These include tracking things and wearing goggles with a laser, among other things. "I've got some training exercises I need to do, tracking things, wearing goggles with a laser on them," Smith said.
Series performance
Performance in the Ashes series
As of now, Smith has slammed 103 runs from four innings at 51.50 in the ongoing Ashes series. He had batted with eye blacks to adjust to conditions during the pink-ball Test at The Gabba, Brisbane. "I felt like I batted pretty well in Brisbane, even with the pink ball," Smith said, adding that he is considering using these patches for normal games too. Notably, Smith slammed a half-century in the Brisbane Test.