Steve Smith Resumes Fielding Duties After Being Cleared of Concussion

Steve Smith went back to fielding on the fifth day of Australia’s first Test match against South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban, after being cleared of a concussion. He was in the slip cordon for the first throw of the day on October 13, 2026. Before the game, he had been making catches during the warm-up.

A second review of the concussion was done in the 24 hours after day four. This was done before the clearance. A bouncer from Anrich Nortje hit Steve Smith in the head during Australia’s second innings. It was the fifth ball of the thirteenth over. Cricket Australia says that Nortje bowled at 150.1 km/h the whole day.

After what happened, Steve Smith was checked out on the field and then allowed to bat again.

Stephen Harmer got him at long-on after he had made 27 off of 41 balls. Michael Neser filled in for Smith as a catcher when South Africa came out to bat in their second innings later that same day.

What did Cricket Australia’s concussion protocol say had to be done?

Cricket Australia’s policy on concussions and brain injuries says that any player who has been diagnosed with a concussion must take at least 24 hours off from playing cricket and cannot do any cricket-related activities again until a medical officer says they can. Steve Smith stopped fielding during South Africa’s second innings on day four because of that condition while his evaluation was still going on.

The Australian medical staff was happy that he had done everything needed to be done to be able to play again, which was shown by the fact that he was at the first slip from ball one on day five. It’s still not clear why Cricket Australia didn’t give an official time stamp for the clearance.

On the last day, what does Australia have to lose?

Australia made their top score of 421 runs before the tea break on the fourth day. This was a record for South Africa. On the last day, Australia needed six more wickets to win and take a 1-0 lead in the series.

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The second Test will begin at Gqeberha on Sunday. Australia thinks Smith will be able to play in that game now that he’s back on the field, which could help them win the series.

Prachi Agarwal

A dedicated cricket content writer at CricketDhamaka, helping fans stay connected with the game through the latest cricket news, match updates, player profiles, statistics, performances, records, analysis, and major developments from around the world.