"It feels pretty normal" - Steve Smith cites Cortisone injection as big difference for relief from wrist injury

Star Australian batter Steve Smith has revealed that he is feeling much better after recently taking the cortisone injection for his prolonged wrist injury that impacted his batting performance. The right-handed batter said that the injection has made a massive difference and that he is largely pain-free.

The 34-year-old had reportedly suffered the wrist injury while fielding on the final day of the second Ashes Test at Lord's in July. The injury troubled him throughout the final three Tests as Smith made half-centuries in either innings at the Kia Oval after failures at Headingley and Old Trafford.

In a recent interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Smith spoke about his injury in detail, saying:

"I was in a brace for a couple of weeks, just trying to limit the movement, which once I got that off, it hadn’t really made a big difference to be honest. Then I got a cortisone in it last Thursday, and that has made a big difference. So I’ve had a couple of sessions back batting now and it feels pretty normal. Hopefully, I don’t need another one and it just settles it down."

The New South Wales batter was included in the squad for the limited-overs tour of South Africa but pulled out at the last minute. However, he is expected to be fit for the 2023 World Cup, wherein Australia will open their campaign against India on October 8

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."It’s definitely my preferred spot" - Steve Smith on batting at No. 3 in World Cup

Steve Smith. (Image Credits: Twitter)

While the right-hander is likely to bat at No.3 in the upcoming World Cup, the former captain says he will do whatever is good for the team. The 34-year-old predicts a handful of low-scoring matches, given the pitches can undergo wear and tear in longer tournaments.

"I think I average 55 at three, or something like that, so it’s definitely my preferred spot," Steve Smith said. "But I’ll do whatever the team needs. White-ball cricket, you’d love to bat as high as you can, so we’ll see what they want to do."

"When you look at World Cups as opposed to the standard bilateral series, I reckon the scores naturally come down a little bit anyway, with the extra pressure of big games and things like that. Then you throw in the mix that wickets are going to be wearing and turning," he added.

Smith was Australia's highest run-getter in the 2015 World Cup with 402 runs in eight games at 67.