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Steve Smith Walks Out Of The Ground In Pain After Injury In WTC Final

Abhinav Tyagi

Steve Smith Injured- (Source : AP)Steve Smith Injured- (Source : AP)

In the ongoing WTC final between Australia and South Africa, the defending champions have suffered a significant setback as star batter Steve Smith has left the field with a shoulder injury. The 36-year-old injured himself while attempting a catch. 

Notably, on the second ball of the 20th over, Mitchell Starc’s fiery delivery found the outside edge of Temba Bavuma’s bat, but the ball went straight to Smith at first slip. Smith not only dropped the catch but also gave the South Africa captain a lifeline. Watch the delivery here. 

The former Australia captain was in considerable pain, and the physios asked him to leave the ground. It is also suspected that Smith may have dislocated a finger while attempting the catch. Meanwhile, Sam Konstas has replaced the right-handed batter on the field.

Steve Smith A Safe Option For Australia At Slips

Australia were in a commanding position when Bavuma came to bat as the Proteas were 70/2 and still required 212 runs to win the WTC final. Further, South Africa captain's dismissal would have put the Baggy Greens in the driver's seat.

Usually, Smith is the safest option for Australia in the slips. It is worth noting that the 36-year-old has the 2nd most catches in the history of the Kangaroos. The right-handed batter has 331 catches across formats and is only behind Ricky Ponting in that list with 363 catches. 

Overall, the former Australia captain has second-most catches by an active cricketer, behind Virat Kohli, who has 336 catches to his name. At present, there is no update on Australia star and also unclear whether he dislocated his shoulder of injured his finger. Cricket Australia are yet to issue a statement. 

Smith's Catching Has Taken A Hit Lately

Despite having one of the most safe hands in the world, Smith's catching skills has taken a hit as he dropped the most catches for Australia during 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. 

The right-handed batter dropped seven catches and here is the complete list. 

  • 7 - Steve Smith
  • 2 - Alex Carey, Usman Khawaja
  • 1 - Pat Cummins, Nathan McSweeney, Nathan Lyon, Marnus Labuschagne

Luckily for Australia, Smith has batted in both innings and they don't require his services with the bat anymore in this final.