Steve Smith said that he carried an elbow injury into the IPL 2021 before the tournament was suspended in May due to the coronavirus pandemic.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Steve Smith played his maiden season for Delhi Capitals in IPL this year
• Smith had a poor outing, scoring just 104 runs at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 111.82
• Smith pulled out of Australia’s tour of the West Indies due to the injury

Former Australia captain Steve Smith has revealed that he played in this year’s Indian Premier League with an elbow injury which got worse as the tournament progressed.

Smith had a poor outing with the Delhi Capitals before IPL 2021 got suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, scoring just 104 runs at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 111.82.

“I still wasn’t quite 100 percent [during the IPL], it was still bothering me a bit, and I was playing over ctaking some painkillers and anti-inflammatories every time I batted,” Smith told cricket.com.au.

“It got to a point where it wasn’t really improving much, and it probably got a little bit worse while I was over there,” Smith added.

Smith has pulled out of Australia’s tour of the West Indies due to the injury and is even ready to skip the T20 World Cup to be ready for the Ashes later this year.

“There’s still a bit of time between now and [the T20 World Cup], and I’m tracking okay at the moment it’s slow, but I’m going okay.

“I’d love to be part of the World Cup, for sure, but from my point of view, Test cricket, that’s my main goal to be right for the Ashes and try to emulate what I’ve done in the last few Ashes series I’ve been involved in,” Smith said.