Steve Smith's concussion history (Source: AFP)Australia faced a major potential injury scare on Day 4 of the first Test against South Africa in Durban on Monday after Anrich Nortje struck Steve Smith on the helmet with a bouncer.The former Australian captain underwent a mandatory on-field concussion assessment and did not take the field when South Africa began their second innings. What’s the latest update on Steve Smith concussion in SA vs AUS Durban Test?According to Cricket Australia, Smith underwent further assessment before the start of fifth day’s play. Smith cleared the checks and will take the field on the final day as Australia resume their bid to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.However, if he had been diagnosed with a concussion, Smith would have been ruled out of the remainder of the Durban Test.Under Cricket Australia guidelines, a player diagnosed with a concussion must stand down for at least 24 hours, with a return to cricket-related activity subject to clearance from a medical officer.However, he’s now back on the field, completing slips catching in the warm-up.ALSO READSteve Smith Breaks Into Test Cricket History, Surpasses Joe Root In CatchesNotably, the Australian vice-captain has previously experienced a concussion, famously during the 2019 Ashes.In this article, we'll look at the last time Steve Smith suffered a concussion in a Test match.2019 Ashes: When a gnarly Jofra Archer bouncer ruled Steve Smith out of 3rd TestIn August 2019, Smith was hit in the neck by a 92mph bouncer from Jofra Archer on day four of the second Ashes Test. He had passed an initial concussion test and returned to continue his innings.However, it was further confirmed that he was ruled out of the third Ashes Test at Headingley due to a delayed concussion.After one of cricket's more frightening scenes in recent years, the batter joined the Australia squad for training in Leeds two days before the match began but played no active part in the proceedings.Eventually, Steve Smith was ruled out of the third Ashes Test in Headingley.After starting the 2019 Ashes series in record-breaking form with scores of 144, 142 and 92 in his three innings, Smith made history in a more unfortunate fashion during the second Test.Australia’s talisman became the first player to be replaced by a concussion substitute under new International Cricket Council (ICC) rules, with Marnus Labuschagne taking the field for the second innings.Felt like I had "a dozen beers": Steve SmithLater, the Australian batter opened up on the incident and said his concussion symptoms during the 2019 Ashes Test at Lord's felt "like I'd had a dozen beers to be honest" (or "half a dozen beers without actually enjoying the beers") after the initial adrenaline wore off.Speaking on the Legend of the Ashes podcast, Smith also recalled that it was tough for him to see the ball properly, pointing to the weather and the bowling end as reasons.“I wasn’t seeing the ball properly on an overcast day at Lord’s. It was quite a dark, gloomy day," he remembered.“There were a few distractions there, and it was just a day (when) I wasn’t quite seeing the ball as well as I would have liked from that end," said Smith.After missing the Headingley Test, Smith returned for the final two Tests and finished the series with 774 runs at 110.57.ALSO READHashmatullah Shahidi Retired Hurt In Bangladesh vs Afghanistan Test, Dugout Treatment Given
