Steve Smith is ready to leave the T20 World Cup
Australian batsman Steve Smith is ready to leave the T20 World Cup to be fit for the Ashes series. Smith withdrew from the limited-overs series against the West Indies and Bangladesh due to an elbow injury.
The 2021 T20 World Cup will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman from October 17 to November 14 and the Ashes series will start on December 8.
“There is still little time left for the T20 World Cup and I am moving in the right direction. It is getting better even though it is late. I want to be a part of the World Cup but in my view, Test cricket is my main goal.
So I’m trying to get ready for the Ashes series and repeat what I did in the last Ashes series. ” Smith told Cricket.com.au.
“I want to take myself to a place where I have the same influence. That means if I don’t participate in the World Cup, I will follow the same path. But I am hopeful that such a journey will not happen. ” He added.
Smith said Ashes was his first priority and was ready to do anything to fit in five Tests.
“Ashes is my first priority so I have to be ready to bat for a long time. At present, I am not in a situation that is costly. ”
“Even though it is difficult, I am getting there slowly. For those who want to play millions of balls, it is not good to be limited to 15 minutes. But I understand that such a thing can take time. I need to take this process seriously to get myself ready for the summer season, which requires time. ”
Smith has scored 1,969 runs at an average of 93.76 in 14 Tests in the Ashes series, including eight centuries. In the 2019 Ashes in England, Smith batted in seven innings of four games and scored 774 runs with three centuries and three fifties.
Speaking about his injury, Smith said, “I was not 100 percent fit even during the IPL. At that time, I was batting in every game by eating pain killer.
The injury reached a point from which not much was improving. While there, it probably got worse. There has been some progress in the last few weeks. I started batting a bit, only 10 minutes at a time. And from this situation, I am making my way back to the game. ” He added.
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