Durban victory beckons but Australian eyes turn to Steve Smith

October 13, 2026 — 5:00am

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Durban: You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone (or could be).

Twenty-four hours after he was the happiest man at Kingsmead with four catches, three of them utterly brilliant, Steve Smith cut a downbeat figure in the team viewing area as he watched the final session unfold.

Led by Josh Hazlewood and skipper Pat Cummins, plus a first Test wicket for the ebullient Matt Renshaw, Australia are closing in on a meritorious victory here. But they must also wait to discover whether Smith will be out of the next Test or even the series, if it turns out he has suffered a delayed concussion.

Tellingly, Smith observed the play in his team tracksuit, undergoing further assessment for a potential concussion after he was struck heavily on the helmet by an Anrich Nortje bouncer in the morning. He was never going to take the field on the fourth evening, and will likely miss day five also.

At the time it was the sort of hit that drew winces from the small gathering of spectators, as Smith had taken his eyes off the rapid delivery and ducked the instant before it clanged off the side of his helmeted head.

There was a delay of several minutes on the field while Smith was checked by team medical staff, passing those initial assessments, before a replacement helmet was called for.

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© The Age