Australia batsman Steven Smith, who was ruled out of the final day of the second Ashes Test with a delayed concussion, has said the 'right decision' was made in the end.
Smith was struck on the neck by a Jofra Archer bouncer during Saturday’s play, but returned to bat after initially retiring hurt on 80. The 30-year-old has now been withdrawn from the match after a further concussion test on Sunday “demonstrated some deterioration” in his condition. Smith has been replaced in the Australian team by Marnus Labuschagne
"Obviously, I would love to be out there and keep performing and win another Test for Australia. I will be monitored closely over the next few days and hopefully I can make recovery soon," he added.
"Yesterday when I came off the ground, the (concussion) test results were normal... I passed all the tests and felt fine, so was allowed to go back out and bat upon discussion with the team doctor and coach. They were both happy and I was comfortable as well," Smith said explaining why he returned to bat after being felled by an Archer delivery.
Asked how he felt on Sunday morning, Smith said, "I got good sleep at night, which is somewhat rare for me... but woke up feeling groggy and had a little bit of headache as the adrenaline got out of system. They had some tests done and upon further assessments, it was deemed to be mild concussion."
"Yeah, they have declined a little bit since yesterday.. we did a test this morning at the ground and last night ... the results changed slightly. That and how I am feeling now have led to this decision (withdrawal)."
"I didn't feel much pain in my neck yesterday but today morning, when I touched it, it did hurt a little. That perhaps led to the headache. As for the arm, it's far better than what it was yesterday."
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