Alarming detail in Steve Smith’s concussion scare in Manchester

Following his concussion scare in Manchester, Australian cricketer Steve Smith was reportedly seen vomiting after a regulation training session.

Following his concussion scare in Manchester, Australian cricketer Steve Smith was reportedly seen vomiting after a regulation training session.

There are growing concerns about the health of Australian cricketer Steve Smith after he missed the recent ODI series against England in Manchester.

Smith did not feature in any of the one-day matches last week after he was struck in the head by a throw down from assistant coach Trent Woodhill.

Although the 31-year-old passed several concussion tests, he was not named in the Australian XI for the three-match series.

On Friday, The Australian’s Peter Lalor revealed Smith had vomited after a training session which involved sprints and a net session.

“He was a little bit groggy and just wasn’t 100 per cent, so like any time you’re dealing with a head injury or anything like that you want to be ultraconservative and cautious,” Australian captain Aaron Finch said before Wednesday’s match.

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National coach Justin Langer admitted Smith looked “rusty” during preparations the series decider, which Australia won by three wickets.

“He had a hit today and he still looks a bit rusty, to be honest,” Langer told SEN on Wednesday.

“We’ll give him until the last moment to play, but I’m not as confident now as I was 24 hours ago.”

Steve Smith of Australia.

Smith travelled to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday in preparation for the 2020 Indian Premier League, where he will represent and captain the Rajasthan Royals.

Cricket Australia’s head of sports medicine Alex Kountouris confirmed CA would work collaboratively with the IPL franchise ahead of his return.

“Steve is making progress and working with our medical team through the concussion protocols required to return to play,” Kountouris said, as reported by News Corp.

“Unfortunately, he was not ready to play the final ODI against England. We are working collaboratively with his IPL franchise on his return to play from here once he arrives in the UAE.

“The conservative management of Steve through this injury is consistent with our approach to put the player’s welfare first, as we did with him during the Ashes last year.

“That says a lot about the environment within our Australian teams. We are striving to create environments where players trust that our medical team will always put their welfare first and therefore speak openly with them, whether this is about concussion, other injuries or mental health.

“Cricket Australia has strict protocols when it comes to head impacts and concussions and, as we’ve seen over the last 12 months, we’re not willing to compromise on those.

“We have done a lot of research over the last few years to better understand head impacts and concussions specific to cricket, and that has helped up in how we manage our players.

“We place the welfare of the player before the game because we strongly believe that is what’s best for the player.”

Steve Smith looks on during the third ODI in Manchester.

Smith missed the third Test of last year’s Ashes series in England after he was struck in the neck by a Jofra Archer delivery at Lord’s.

Although he initially passed a concussion test, Smith experienced delayed symptoms the following day, and teammate Marnus Labuschagne was famously named his concussion substitute for the remainder of the match in London.

“I woke up feeling a little bit groggy and with a headache again, so had some tests done, and upon some further assessments (it was) deemed to be a mild concussion,” Smith said in August.

“I think it’s the right decision. The doc’s had a pretty close eye on me since I came off the field yesterday, and I’ve been assessed and asked a lot of questions over the last 20 hours or thereabouts, and unfortunately I’ve declined in the way I’ve felt over that time.

“I didn’t have any real pain in my neck yesterday when I touched it or when anyone else touched it. Today I do have a bit of pain there, whether that’s some swelling or what I’m not sure. Perhaps that’s leading to me having a headache and feeling a bit groggy.”

Australian all-rounder Ash Gardner also has an unfortunate history with concussion, suffering four instances over a two-year period early in her career.

“It’s quite bad,” Gardner conceded in 2018.

“There have been so many people hit in the head, and they don’t get concussed, and I’m like, ‘How do I get concussed every time I get hit in the head?’

“It’s quite funny how people’s heads react differently.”

Ash Gardner of the Sydney Sixers.

Concussion researcher and founder of HeadSafe Dr Adrian Cohen warned of the short and long-term consequences facing athletes who regularly obtain concussions.

“Nobody would ever suggest that getting hit multiple times in the head by a small, hard object travelling at high velocity is good for you,” Cohen told foxsports.com.au in 2018.

“The more (concussions) you have, the more likely you are to suffer short, medium and long-term damage.

“The nerve cells themselves start to get less blood … and as a result, each of those cells can’t get enough energy, so we have what’s called a metabolic crisis.”

The IPL commences on Sunday, with 19 Australian players involved in the six-week tournament.

Originally published as Alarming detail in Steve Smith’s concussion scare in Manchester