Steve Smith’s fitness test casts doubt over Cape Town Test

Just Steve Smith things https://t.co/OV3Mpl4LMF

— Cricinfo (@cricinfo) October 26, 2026

The upcoming Test marks Smith’s return to Newlands, the venue where his tenure as Australia’s full‑time captain ended dramatically amid the ball‑tampering scandal. The 2018 series was also level at 1‑1, though Smith has since played at the ground once, during a T20I in 2020.
“I’d say, first of all, he’s been awesome this tour,” Cummins said. “In the last couple of years, probably particularly the last 12 months, it feels like he’s in a really good place and he’s enjoying his cricket.”
“That knock [on the helmet] in the first Test, I think it knocked him around for a couple of hours, but then straight away the next morning he was back to his normal self and out there. I don’t really want to speak for him because probably only he can answer, but from all my conversations, he’s been great. He’s been super invested in what’s going on and very helpful for me out there in the middle.”
Should Smith experience a further neck flare‑up and be unavailable, Marnus Labuschagne would likely retain his opening middle‑order spot amid ongoing speculation about his future. Cameron Green is set to rejoin the squad, and Cummins indicated that a middle‑order role would be ‘our preference’ for Green.
Selectors chairman George Bailey confirmed that the discussions surrounding Labuschagne remain unchanged. The batsman has not posted a Test century since August 2023 and has made three scores in the low‑30s during this series.

Nic Maddinson scored 0, 48, 0 and 8 after his shock recall to the Test side•Associated Press

“I don’t know if I’ve got anything further to add than I think everyone’s said over the last [period of time],” Bailey said. “We’ve seen some good things. Is there a block at the moment around the 30s? Yes. [He’s] still contributing in terms of his ability to get through a number of balls.”
“So it’s a decision around what does that look like if he gets through [to the 30s] again, what does it look like for the collective and is it helping others around him [and] the team get a result that we ultimately want?”
The omission of Maddinson, who posted scores of 0, 48, 0 and 8 after his surprise recall, clears a pathway for Matt Renshaw to open the innings alongside Travis Head. Bailey defended the initial selection, stating the South African experience would not necessarily end Maddinson’s Test career.
“I think performance-wise… would you like more runs in it? Yes. So that’s okay,” Bailey said. “It did allow us to set the rest of the team up the way that we wanted to whilst we were working with the group we have, yes.”
“We always talk about what do we see when we see players that are best. I think you saw a glimpse of that in the second innings in Durban. So there’s a message for him. With him going home, I wanted to be clear to him it wasn’t a stopgap and that’s it and it’s a discard.”
“The same reasons and process we worked through to get him to be on the table for here and ultimately to play, they’ll be the same questions that we’ll ask across the home summer to India as well.”
Sam Harper, who was drafted in as wicket‑keeping cover after Josh Inglis fractured a finger, is also departing the tour to prepare for Victoria’s Shield fixture against Queensland beginning Saturday. Inglis has been cleared to resume wicket‑keeping duties should Alex Carey encounter any issues.

Source link