Smith ruled out of Cape Town Test with neck injury
Australia will play the Cape Town Test without Steve Smith after the veteran batter failed to recover from a neck complaint in time.
Steve Smith will miss the third Test against South Africa after failing a fitness test on his neck injury at Newlands on Monday. Australia will make at least four changes, with Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Cooper Connolly and Nathan Lyon returning to the XI.
Nic Maddinson and Sam Harper have been released from the squad. Matthew Renshaw is now expected to open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja.
Smith managed only 20 minutes of throwdowns before the session ended abruptly. Coach Andrew McDonald said the 36-year-old's availability for the remainder of the tour remains under review.
CricHubb Take
The selectors now face the same calculation they avoided for years: whether to treat Smith's absence as a one-off or as the start of a managed wind-down that alters every batting position below number three.