Neck injury confirmed as New Zealand the focus for Smith
Australia are hoping star batter Steve Smith will be fit for their four-match Test series against New Zealand.
Australia have revealed the extent of Steve Smith's neck injury and the timeline for his return to international cricket.
Smith hurt his neck during the second ICC World Test Championship contest against South Africa and was a late withdrawal from the series decider in Cape Town that commenced on Tuesday.
Scans have since found that Smith has developed a cervical facet joint injury and the right-hander will not be considered for selection until Australia next Test series commences at home against New Zealand in December.
"Steve Smith developed neck pain on day four of the second Test in Gqeberha last week," Cricket Australia confirmed via a statement.
"Subsequent MRI imaging confirmed a cervical facet joint injury. Due to this and his limited range of motion he was unfit to participate in the current Test.
"Steve will continue to receive treatment and rehabilitation, with a full return to availability anticipated for the upcoming home Test series against New Zealand."
With Smith watching on from the sidelines it was left to recalled batter Josh Inglis to fill the void on Wednesday and the right-hander looked to be in good touch as he reached 85* as the Aussies closed on 330/4 and with a lead of just one run over the Proteas in the first innings.
It was Inglis' first Test appearance since he featured against England during the Ashes series in Adelaide at the end of last year and teammate Matthew Renshaw was not surprised to see him make an immediate impact.
"He's a very talented player, we've seen that across a lot of the white-ball formats," Renshaw noted.
"To come in today, we were under a little bit of pressure, having lost two quick wickets, and the way that he played was really positive – it was a very Josh innings, and I think it was really what we needed at that time."
Series schedule
First Test: 9-13 October, Durban (Australia won by 214 runs)
Second Test: 18-22 October, Gqeberha (South Africa won by an innings and 31 runs)
Third Test: 27-31 October, Cape Town