Both hands down!Graeme Smith has been the cynosure of all eyes since news broke out of his wanting to avoid surgery and inject his own blood into his suffering elbow in a bid to ready himself when Australia return the tour to South Africa. He had decided to miss the one day series in the process. But it now appears his contribution in this Test has been unfortunately done with only on the second day with a fractured hand to nurse along with his elbow. Both hands down!
Smith was facing up to the Australian quicks after the hosts set 445 in their first innings. While the South African openers negotiated the period before tea, it was after tea that the big blow came. Smith took one ball flush on his bottom hand even as he tried to get his hand away. The result was a wincing pain once more.
Earlier Smith took a break to swallow some more pain killers for his right elbow that has troubled him ever since the IPL stint for the Rajasthan Royals. Nursing his way through pain for the cause of the team, Smith had earned the applause and comparison to another former South African captain and former Australian player, Kepler Wessels, for the gutsy, determined manner in which both men chose to bear though the pain without complaint in order not to let the opposition get their foot into the door.
He has been rewarded for his pain with series victory against England,and against Australia and a personal milestone of being the highest run getter of 2008 with over 1600 runs.
But now it appears there will be no more of captain courageous as Smith suffered what is now known to a fracture on his left hand which will require six weeks in cast. Although it means it will not require surgery, what was earlier believed to be a small fracture on his little finger is now a deeper problem with perhaps a dislocated knuckle on his middle finger that has required extensive plaster running right through to the upper part of his arm, not good signs as South Africa must dig deep once more, now without their captain asserting his impact on the field and from the front.
Lee’s Double Tragedies as well
Meanwhile Brett Lee who suffered stress fractures in his foot that saw him struggle through the second Test in Melbourne and miss out on the third Test in Sydney is not expected to make a come back before June when the World Twenty20 sees a second round before the Ashes.
Brett Lee underwent surgery on his left ankle to have bone fragments removed and the reason he did so was to utilize the recovery time on both injuries which separately treated would have meant missing out on more cricketing action.
Lee’s spate of troubles continue and to see him out of action for the better part of six months to go with extensive problems with Shane Watson and Andrew Symonds himself undergoing knee surgery, it seems the Australian dressing room is living on crutches!
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