Steve Smith says he felt like he had drunk “a dozen beers” last time he played at Lord’s, as he prepares to return to the venue for the second Ashes Test.
The Australia batsman became the first cricketer to be formally substituted out of a Test match with concussion when he withdrew from the second Test at Lord’s in 2019.
Smith initially passed concussion testing before returning having been struck on the neck by England pace bowler Jofra Archer on day four.
Yet he was ruled out on the final day – with the match drawn – and also missed the following Test at Headingley.
Smith recalled the incident ahead of the second Test, which starts on Wednesday. Australia lead the series following their two-wicket victory in the opener at Edgbaston.
The 34-year-old explained: “It was just a day that I wasn’t quite seeing the ball as well as I would have liked from that end.
“Archer was bowling 93 to 96 miles an hour at stages. And the wicket felt like it was a little bit up and down. So it certainly wasn’t easy.
“It was a very difficult period to get through, and obviously I caught one on the arm, got away with a few pull shots that are top edge and a couple in the gaps. And then I caught one in the back of the head, which hurt a fair bit.
It wasn't until I came back out and half an hour after, when the adrenaline sort of went out of my system and I started to feel quite groggy— Steve Smith
“At that stage, I didn’t realise I was getting concussed. I went off and did all the tests, passed all the tests.
“It wasn’t until I came back out and half an hour after, when the adrenaline sort of went out of my system and I started to feel quite groggy, probably like I’d had a dozen beers to be honest. That lasted for a little bit. It was a difficult period and he bowled really nicely.”
Smith scored 92 in the first innings, which had been delayed due to rain, before he was dismissed lbw by Chris Woakes.
“I remember spending a lot of time in the nets and even the day before the game, I think I had a really long net, I just couldn’t find a rhythm. And then finally, something just clicked and I started to feel good,” he said.
“That was probably after two and a half hours in the net. So I’d say after that I was probably a little bit mentally fatigued from having such a long hit the day before the game, but I also felt like I was prepared and ready to go. And then it was just about going out in the middle and playing.
“We were losing a lot of wickets at the other end throughout that innings. I was just trying to stay in the present as much as possible, probably up until we’re about eight down, which was when I started to probably play a few more shots.”
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