Australia are confident that former captain Steve Smith who is currently nursing an elbow injury will be fit for the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held during October-November in the UAE and Oman.
Chairman of selectors George Bailey has given an update on Smith and said that the right-handed batsman is able to face more than 100 balls in one practice session quite comfortably.
"He’s building up nicely. The latest update I had from him is he's facing up over 100 balls in a session pretty comfortably. That’s about a quarter of what he’d like to be facing for a Test match so he’s got a little bit of building up to go there," Bailey told reporters in a video call.
Smith had earlier missed the tours to West Indies and Bangladesh but was included in the 15-man squad for the World T20 announced on Thursday.
"There would obviously be a number where the risk would outweigh the benefit. We’ve got to place a little bit of trust in Steve as someone who knows his body and knows exactly what he needs to be able to perform at a level that’s required," Bailey added.
Smith had sustained an elbow injury back in 2019 after which he was forced to opt out of the Bangladesh Premier League with the ligament problem and had to undergo a surgery.
The right-hander had a successful surgery but the problem has been recurring every now and then. He had earlier revealed that he was in severe pain during the first half of the IPL 2021.
The right-hander who was bought by Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2021 edition further said that he was taking painkillers every time he used to come out to bat.
Australia, who have never lifted the World T20 in the past will begin their campaign against South Africa on October 23.
The likes of Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner and Kane Richardson have also received the call-up despite opting out of the recent tours citing “bubble fatigue”.
The World T20 will commence on October 17, two days after the competition of IPL 2021 where Oman will take on Papua New Guinea in the opening encounter.