Australia captain Steve Smith has been ruled out of the upcoming One-Day International (ODI) series in New Zealand after he picked up a minor ankle injury in the > ODI victory over Pakistan in Adelaide on Thursday. Smith confirmed on Friday that he would not join the squad heading to New Zealand for the three-match series starting on January 30 having suffered strained medial ligaments in his left ankle, Cricket Australia said on its website.
“It's a bit of a shock,” Smith told reporters in Adelaide. “I just landed really awkwardly on my foot and I felt something straight away. I was a little bit concerned, I've never really injured my ankle like that.”
The 27-year-old added that team medical staff informed him he could resume training in seven to 10 days but the injury was not serious enough to rule him out of the four-match Test series in India starting in Pune on February 23. Smith will undergo a scan on the injury but expects to attend a training camp in Dubai ahead of the tour of India.
“They think it's just a medial ligament sprain but I'm having an MRI this afternoon to see if there's any more damage,” he said. “I'm confident I'll be fine to train in Dubai after that and for the first Test in India.”
Australia vice-captain David Warner is being rested for the New Zealand tour and the national selection committee are expected to name a replacement skipper for Smith later on Friday. Following the series-opener in Auckland next Monday, the teams will play further matches in Napier on February 2 and in Hamilton on February 5.
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