World Cup: Steve Smith ‘annoyed’ by vertigo bouts

MUMBAI: Steve Smith had a grimace on his face as he settled down for the pre-match conference. Queried, the righthand bat revealed that he was battling another bout of “vertigo”. “I’ve had a bit of vertigo stuff the last day or so, so it’s just been a bit annoying. So, hopefully I can get through training today and be all good. But, yeah, it’s not a nice place to be,” Smith said on Monday.

This is not the first time the 34-year-old has suffered from vertigo. Earlier, Smith had complained about the condition during Australia’s ODI against India in November 2020 in Sydney. He nearly missed the game before going on to score a 62-ball century. He also battled with the symptoms while touring Pakistan last year after he returned from a concussion scare.

Smith, however, did have a hit in the nets and didn’t look in any discomfort, and only time will tell whether he will sit out from Tuesday’s encounter. Australia can’t afford to lose their middle-order mainstay at this juncture of the tournament, even though he is yet to get going. In seven matches, Smith has scored 205 runs at an average of 29.28 and has just one half-century in his kitty. He has had starts but converting them into something substantial has been a problem.

While Smith agreed that he hasn’t been able to build, he also felt that he was batting well. “It’s been disappointing at times. I’ve been in the middle of a few partnerships that have helped build a foundation, but would have liked to have gone on with it a little bit more. I’ve got in on some tricky surfaces. I still feel I’m hitting the ball well,” he said.

While Australia have won five on the trot and are on the verge of securing a semifinal spot, Smith felt that India will be tough to beat. “I think you want to be peaking at the right time and the two teams up top are playing really good cricket, in particular India. They’re going to be tough to beat, there’s no doubt about that.”