NEWS
Follow UsThe Steven Smith vs Jofra Archer battle in the Lord's Ashes Test in 2019 was an epic one. Smith copped quite a few on his body before a blow to the head saw him go off the field. He did come back, but it was cut short after he was out leg-before for 88.
Smith is set to play at Lord's in the second Test against England for the first time since 2019. "It was a very difficult period to get through," Smith told the Legend of the Ashes podcast, ahead of the Lord's Test.
"I caught one on the arm, got away with a few pull shots that are top edge and a couple in the gaps.
"And then I copped one in the back of the head, which hurt a fair bit. At that stage, I didn't realise I was getting concussed. I went off and did all the tests, passed all the tests.
"It wasn't until I came back out. Half-an-hour after, when the adrenalin sort of went out of my system and I started to feel quite groggy - probably like I'd had a dozen beers, to be honest."
Smith further added that the gloomy weather that day played a part as he could not pick the ball properly. "Lord's itself can be a little difficult when they are bowling from the members' end with the members sitting there and the sightscreen not as big as at other grounds.
"There were a few distractions there, and it was just a day [when] I wasn't quite seeing the ball as well as I would have liked from that end."
After his dismissal, Smith did not take part in the rest of the Test, paving the way for Marnus Labuschagne as the first-ever concussion substitute. As a result, Smith missed the next Test at Headingley, but returned for the remaining two games, eventually ending the series with 774 runs at 110.57.
On the other hand, Archer has been in and out of the side due to injuries, and it could be a long way back for the pacer.
