Footage reveals Steve Smith’s reaction to Ashes dismissal after bouncer blow
Behind the scenes footage reveals what happened inside the Australian dressing room during the terrifying moment after Steve Smith was rocked by a short ball at Lord’s.
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The dramatic aftermath of Steve Smith being struck on the neck during last year’s Ashes series has been revealed in never-before-seen footage.
Smith was felled by a brutal bouncer from Jofra Archer in the second Test at Lord’s that forced him from the field.
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Before the scary incident, Smith had been unsettled by Archer’s hostile spell of bowling and was struck on the left forearm that left him wincing in pain.
Shortly after Smith copped a sickening blow to the neck as he tried to evade the short ball.
He retired hurt on 80 but later returned to the crease after passing concussion tests, adding a further 12 runs.
Smith was clearly not himself and was dismissed LBW after failing to play a shot.
The footage, filmed by Cricket Australia for the Amazon documentary The Test, shows Smith’s angry reaction to his dismissal quickly turns to devastation in the dressing room.
After throwing his bat into the floor, Smith slumped into a sit, removes his helmet and rests his head in his hands.
“I came out and slogged my first ball over mid-wicket. Defending was just the hardest thing to do,” Smith says in the video.
“My mind is saying ‘work hard and defend’ but I couldn’t do it.”
Coach Justin Langer was shaken by what had happened.
“Still down,” he is heard saying.
The hit also brought back memories of the fatal blow that struck Phillip Hughes in 2014.
“I think we were all in shock,” Peter Siddle said of the Smith hit.
“I think the worst was when he was laying there. That was probably the scariest moment for us all.”
👀 SPECIAL SNEAK PEEK 👀
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 15, 2020
Watch the dramatic scenes unfold in the Aussie camp during the epic Ashes battle between Steve Smith and Jofra Archer at Lord's.
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