Skip to content
Sign in
↑Part of: Australia leave Boland out as Smith misses Cape Town decider
Sports · Africa

Smith ruled out of third Test with neck issue, report says

Fox Cricket’s Mark Howard reported that Steve Smith is out of Australia’s third Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town because of an ongoing neck issue. The issue flared during the second Test, and Australia had not announced his replacement in the report.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 5 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 2 of 5 outletsHow it's made

View timeline · 7 entries
5 outletsLatest reporting 2 min read
Coverage: Center OnlyL 0 · C 5 · R 0

What happened

Key facts

  • Fox Cricket’s Mark Howard reported that Steve Smith is out of Australia’s third Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town; Reuters’ headline also says Smith will not play the third Test (per The Sydney Morning Herald, Hindustan Times).
  • Smith has an ongoing or lingering neck problem, which Australia coach Andrew McDonald described as “a bit of a neck issue going on at the moment.” (per Hindustan Times).
  • Smith’s replacement had not been announced in the report (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • Daniel Brettig expected Josh Inglis to replace Smith and said Cameron Green was likely to move up to No. 4 (per The Sydney Morning Herald).
  • The series was level at 1-1 ahead of the third Test (per The Sydney Morning Herald, Hindustan Times).

The brief

Steve Smith will miss Australia’s third Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town because of an ongoing neck issue, Fox Cricket’s Mark Howard reported. The report cited an issue that flared during the second Test. Australia coach Andrew McDonald also described Smith as having a neck problem, while the Hindustan Times reported that it limited him to a brief training session on Sunday. Smith’s absence leaves Australia’s batting order unsettled in the report. The Sydney Morning Herald’s Daniel Brettig expected Josh Inglis to replace him and said Cameron Green was likely to move up to No. 4. The report also said Australia had not yet announced Smith’s replacement, so those batting changes remained expectations rather than confirmed selections. The accounts offer different levels of detail about Smith’s fitness, not conflicting explanations: the Sydney Morning Herald describes an ongoing issue that flared in the second Test, while the Hindustan Times calls it lingering and says it affected his training. The Hindustan Times also records McDonald’s brief description of the problem as “a bit of a neck issue going on at the moment.”

Smith’s recent batting returns, as reported by the Hindustan Times, were 0, 48, 0 and 8 across four innings. The figures give context to his recent form, but the reports connect his absence to his neck issue, not to those scores. South Africa made a separate change for the decider, selecting Gerald Coetzee in place of the injured Anrich Nortje, according to the Hindustan Times. AFP’s headline characterized Coetzee as an “enforcer,” while the Hindustan Times described the selection as a replacement for Nortje. The Sydney Morning Herald also reported that South Africa had chosen Coetzee. The series stood level at 1-1 before the Newlands Test, making it the decider. The immediate selection question for Australia is who takes Smith’s place; the Sydney Morning Herald reported Brettig’s expectation of Inglis and a possible move up the order for Green, while reporting that the replacement was still pending. The reports establish Smith’s absence and the stated neck problem, but do not give a return timeline. Australia’s confirmed replacement and batting order therefore remain the next concrete team decisions in the accounts.

Why it matters

  • Australia’s batting order faces an immediate selection change: the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Josh Inglis was expected to replace Smith, with Cameron Green likely to move to No. 4, while the replacement remained unannounced.
  • Smith’s neck problem affected his training, according to the Hindustan Times, and the Sydney Morning Herald said it flared during the second Test.
  • South Africa selected Gerald Coetzee in place of injured Anrich Nortje, making the Newlands Test a decider in a series level at 1-1.
  • Smith’s four reported innings scores—0, 48, 0 and 8—provide recent batting context, while the reports attribute his absence to the neck issue.

What to watch next

  • Whether Australia confirms Josh Inglis as Smith’s replacement.
  • Whether Australia moves Cameron Green to No. 4 in the batting order.
  • Whether South Africa fields Gerald Coetzee in place of injured Anrich Nortje for the Newlands decider.
  • Whether Smith’s neck issue affects his availability beyond this Test; the reports do not provide a return timeline.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
6 source articles · 5 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Center Only· 5 Center
Where the outlets are based: Asia 60% · Global 40%
Outlet political mix
Center Only
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
5 outlets
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
5 unique outletsDominant coverage: Asia
Coverage imbalance
  • Coverage is currently concentrated among Center-rated outlets (5 of 5 rated sources); comparatively few Left or Right-rated outlets have published on the event.
How we measure coverage

2 sources are from a wire service (AP, Reuters, AFP or Bloomberg), whose reporting other outlets often republish.

How outlets' accounts compare

1 framing difference · 4 uncorroborated claims · 2 information gaps
The reports repeat the same account with different emphasis; its central claims are not independently confirmed in the reporting Updat3 read.Compared across 2 reports whose article text Updat3 read; 3 other outlets were checked by headline only.
Framing / emphasis differences
Sources emphasise different angles, actors or consequences of the same reporting.
  • The Sydney Morning Herald emphasizes that Smith is out and reports the issue flared during the second Test; the Hindustan Times describes his availability as uncertain in its excerpt while also reporting the coach’s neck-issue comment and a brief training session.
Updat3: These are differences of emphasis, not disputes about what is reported. They do not show that the reported claims are true.
One-sided or uncorroborated claims
Claims that come from one party or one source family and are not independently corroborated.
  • The Sydney Morning Herald attributes the report that Smith is out to Fox Cricket’s Mark Howard; the Hindustan Times quotes Australia coach Andrew McDonald describing Smith’s neck issue.
  • The Sydney Morning Herald reports Smith is out, while the Hindustan Times excerpt says his availability remains uncertain; the excerpt does not confirm a replacement.
  • Andrew McDonald said Smith had “a bit of a neck issue going on at the moment.”
  • The Sydney Morning Herald reports Daniel Brettig expected Josh Inglis to replace Smith and said Cameron Green was likely to move up to No. 4.
Updat3: Not independently corroborated yet — treat as a claim, not an established fact.
Not established by the reporting
Information the available reporting does not contain or confirm. This is a gap, not a disagreement.
  • The reports do not state when Smith’s neck problem began or provide a return timeline.
  • The reports do not confirm Australia’s replacement for Smith or its final batting order.
Updat3: Updat3 cannot conclude anything about this from the current sources.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Test cricket itself began in 1877, with Australia playing England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
    Background · from our historical context
  2. South Africa made its Test debut against England.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. Australia and South Africa played their first Test, in Johannesburg.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. Australia toured South Africa for a Test series.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. Steve Smith became Australia's captain after Michael Clarke retired.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. Australia and South Africa began the third Test of their series at Newlands in Cape Town.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. Cricket Australia banned Steve Smith and David Warner for a year and Cameron Bancroft for nine months over the ball-tampering incident.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

The second Test of the series left Australia and South Africa level at 1–1 before the teams’ Cape Town meeting.

Steve Smith had previously played at Newlands during the 2018 Australia tour of South Africa: he captained Australia in the third Test, held there from 22 to 25 March, which became known for the ball-tampering scandal involving Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. Australia and South Africa’s Test rivalry dates to 1902, when they first met in Johannesburg.

Original sources

2 of 6 articles · Global · Show all

Every story links to the reporting it was built from. How we choose sources

Spotted a factual error, a broken link or a misleading summary? Tell us.