Steve Smith left flat on his back and forced to retire after taking sickening blow to the head from 92mph Archer delivery after intense battle… but returns to the crease shortly after to resume his innings
- Steve Smith has retired hurt after being hit by a bouncer from Jofra Archer
- It was a brutal spell from England’s Archer, as he averaged 90mph deliveries
- Smith was also hit on the arm and the gloves as he struggled with the pace
Australia’s Steve Smith has retired hurt after being hit in the neck by a vicious delivery from England’s Jofra Archer.
A few overs previously Smith was hit on the arm and had to receive medical attention for several minutes.
He then turned away from a bouncer, hitting Smith in the neck underneath his helmet with a 92mph delivery.
Australia’s Steve Smith has retired hurt after being struck in the neck by a Jofra Archer delivery
Smith turned away from a bouncer, which ended up hitting him underneath his helmet
Smith was under attack from Archer for an extended period, being hit on the arm as well
Smith, who has been Australia’s star batsman in the series so far, instantly went down and stayed there as doctors from both teams rushed out onto the field.
After a few more minutes of attention, he was led off the field to be replaced by Peter Siddle, who wore some extra neck protection that Smith was lacking.
It was part of a pacey spell from Archer after lunch, who also managed a 96.1mph delivery which hit Smith on the gloves.
Smith retired on 80 from 152 balls, as Australia chased down England’s first innings total
Smith was struggling against the pace after being hit by a handful of Archer deliveries
Archer started to bowl even faster after noticing that Smith was struggling with the pace
The England fast bowler was averaging 90mph during the spell, and he appeared to get even faster as Smith was clearly struggling after being hit on the arm.
Archer’s first delivery to Smith’s replacement Siddle reached 95mph and hit him on the thigh pad. The next ball zipped past the edge of the bat to the delight of the Lord’s crowd.
Smith retired on 80 from 152 balls, as Australia chased down England’s first innings total of 258.
While a few England players went over to check on Smith as he fell to the ground, Archer turned away. He then could be seen laughing in conversation with Jos Buttler shortly afterward, although not necessarily about the incident.
Some people on social media were not impressed with the England players’ relaxed attitude while the batsman was in distress.
