Australia vice-captain Steve Smith has been cleared to play in the prestigious Boxing Day Test against England starting on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Steve Smith also spoke about a “bizarre” episode of vestibular dysfunction that threatened his comeback and worsened during training in Adelaide.
Australia’s batting mainstay was troubled by vestibular problems which worsened during four days of training at the Adelaide Oval. Unlike previous bouts of vertigo, the problem was more severe this time and ultimately, he decided to withdraw from the third Ashes 2025-26 Test.
Steve Smith reveals ‘weird’ health scare after being cleared to return for Boxing Day Test
The Australian vice-captain struggled to pick up the ball quickly, felt heavy in the head, became unable to concentrate properly, and became unusually tired after even short training sessions. Every time he raised his head to face the ball, his vision was out of sync.
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The symptoms intensified despite repeated attempts to train. Batting sessions, light activity and even a game of golf worsened his condition. Later, Smith underwent medical examinations that required him to wear vestibular glasses to help doctors better identify the source of his problems.
The right-handed batsman was given a strict recovery plan that included eye-tracking drills, laser-guided exercises, balance control and neck strengthening exercises. The veteran batsman has a history of dizziness and balance problems, but this episode was different and left him stunned.
I was a little worried”: Steve Smith’s vestibular battle
Now, Smith has been cleared to play at the MCG, and he has also shut down net-session concussion rumors and confirmed that the issue was purely vestibular. The Australian vice-captain was quoted by The Age as saying: “I’ve had a few different things happen to my head in the past – head bumps, some vestibular stuff, some vertigo stuff. This time it was more vestibular stuff.”
Smith further explained, “I’m still talking to people about it. I’ve got some training exercises I have to do, tracking things, wearing glasses with lasers on them, making different shapes and things like that. So, it’ll be a little bit, strengthening my neck. Fingers crossed it’s gone and never comes back. That’ll be nice.”
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The Australian star also revealed that the eye black he used in the Day-Night Test in Brisbane will now be a regular part of his kit. “The black things I was wearing under my eyes, I’m 100 percent sure they worked, and I think I’ll bring them in a normal night game against the white ball as well,” he shared.
Steve Smith also defended England head coach Brendon McCullum’s “over-preparation” comment after they lost the first two Tests. The experienced batsman said that he has reduced the amount of training to keep his body fresh.
He signed off by saying, “I think sometimes, especially when you lose, you try almost too much and too hard, and you overlook the fact that when you go into the middle you want to be mentally fresh. Sometimes you try too hard to get yourself in that mental state, and you get really ready when you go into the middle to try to perform under pressure. I’ve learned over time. It’s learned.”
