Ahead of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, Australia vice-captain Steve Smith has said that he has completely recovered from the concussion he sustained last month and is excited for his team’s first tour to the Asian country since 1998.
Notably, Smith had landed on his head while attempting to save a six in a T20I match against Sri Lanka at Sydney. As a result, he missed the last three T20Is against Sri Lanka before flying to Pakistan for the Test series, starting March 4.
“The head’s progressed really well, the last few days, so I’m feeling in a good space,” Smith told reporters in an online news conference on Tuesday (March 1).
“I’ve done a lot of stuff … getting back to playing and had a couple of good hits in Melbourne before we came away. Today (practice) is just about ticking off facing fast bowling, and once that’s done, then everything should be fine.”
After the first Test in Rawalpindi, Karachi will get to host the second Test from March 12-16 while Lahore will stage the third Test from March 21-25.
Playing on subcontinent wickets is considered one of the toughest challenges for the touring Australian side and Smith acknowledged the same.
“Getting accustomed to the conditions is really important,” Smith said. “It’s obviously great to be back here in Pakistan … we’re really excited. We know how passionate Pakistanis are about cricket and we’re excited to get into it in a few days.”
Steve Smith further said that the touring contingent feels safe in Pakistan even though it was reported that Australia spinner Ashton Agar’s wife had received a death threat on social media.
“We’ve got a lot of people here working with us. We trust our security and everyone involved, and we’re feeling incredibly safe here in Pakistan. We’ll be guided by our security and the people that we trust around us,” Smith said.
(With Associated Press inputs)
