“I’m going to sit out the first two Big Bash games”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Australia captain Steven Smith has confirmed that he will not represent the Sydney Sixers in their first two Big Bash League (BBL) fixtures.

Smith is currently nursing knee and hip injuries and has subsequently been ruled out of the Sixers’ matches against the Sydney Thunder and Hobart Hurricanes.

Smith wants to ensure that he doesn’t aggravate the injury any further as Australia have a busy schedule ahead of them, which includes the ongoing series against the West Indies, a tour of New Zealand in February and the World Twenty20 in March.

“I’m experiencing a little bit of knee pain that I experienced before the first Test in Brisbane,” Smith said. “I landed on it yesterday and it sort of aggravated it a little bit, as well as a little bit of hip flexor soreness in my right leg as well. So I’m going to sit out the first two Big Bash games unfortunately. I think it’s just precautionary.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to go at 100%, which is what you need to do in T20 cricket. I don’t want to do any further damage. I probably can’t run quite 100%, which I think in Test cricket you can hide that a little bit. Hopefully they improve over the next couple of weeks and I’ll be back to normal.”