After Pat Cummins was ruled out of the first Test in Perth, replacement Australian captain Steve Smith was reported to have injured his left hand during an Ashes net session ahead of Friday’s action.
Australian players have had a run of bad luck ahead of the Ashes, with many of their players ruled out of the game due to injuries. The Ashes will begin with the first Test in Perth on 21 November and conclude with the final match in Sydney on 8 January.
Steve Smith injured before the start of the Ashes on Friday
Steve Smith returned to Australia to take part in Sheffield Shield games in preparation for the highly anticipated domestic Ashes season. According to several former English cricketers, this is the weakest Australian Test team ever in the Ashes.
Steve Smith will lead the Australian team against England when both the teams clash in Perth for 5 days of intense Test cricket action. He is the acting captain of Australia in the absence of regular captain Pat Cummins.
With no date set for Cummins’ return, Steve Smith was feared to have injured his left hand when he attempted to pull a shot ball into the nets. Although the injury never appeared serious, the team doctor paid him close attention.
It doesn’t look too serious but Steve Smith got a lot of attention from the team doctor for his left hand. It looks like he got hurt somehow while attempting a pull shot in the nets, maybe getting his arm twisted awkwardly in the process #ash pic.twitter.com/LjtbxcRPlf
– Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) 18 November 2025
However, after some initial observation and some time away from the nets, Smith came back and resumed training in the nets.
And it is not serious. Smith batting in the nets https://t.co/FLhqwjbcXU pic.twitter.com/rwb3bk39BY
– Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) 18 November 2025
Australia is struggling with many injuries
The Australian team has been struggling with injuries for a long time since the Ashes selection. The first and biggest blow came in the form of their captain Pat Cummins, who was ruled out of the game due to a strain injury.
The next blow to injuries, which affected participation, came in the form of two other fast bowlers, Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott. Both of them were selected by the Australian team for the first Test and had to be ruled out, with Michael Neser brought in as a replacement instead.
The latest injury fears are from various players, including Cameron Green and now Steve Smith; However, he has not been ruled out and eventually confirmed his participation.
Joe Root eyes first century on Australian soil in the upcoming Ashes
The English team is in Oceania after arriving for the white-ball series against New Zealand. The England Lions have also headed to Australia for a series with Australia A, which will be played alongside the Ashes series.
England veteran Joe Root, the batsman who is now considered to be the greatest red-ball batsman in the history of not only English cricket but also world cricket, recently surpassed Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in the longest format of the game.
The 34-year-old was last seen in the series against India, where he again claimed the title as England’s top scorer, and with his unbeaten form, he is likely to end his century drought in Australia. Although he has 4 centuries against the country, he has no centuries in the country.
Joe Root has played 34 matches on Australian soil and scored 892 runs, which is not a very good record by his standards, as he has the lowest average against Ashes rivals.
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