Australia batsman's ban for ball-tampering elapses in late March
Saturday 12 January 2019 10:45, UK
Former Australia captain Steve Smith will serve out the rest of his ball-tampering ban recovering from elbow surgery.
Smith, whose suspension from state and international cricket in Australia elapses on March 28, will go under the knife on Tuesday and be in a brace for six weeks with a period of recuperation to follow.
"Return-to-play timeframes will be clearer once the brace has been removed," said a Cricket Australia spokesperson.
The 29-year-old had to cut short his Bangladesh Premier League stint with Comilla Victorians, having scored 16 and nought in his first two games.
Smith and David Warner - whose ban also ends on March 28 - received year-long suspensions for the roles they played in the plot to alter the condition of the ball in Cape Town last March, with opening batsman Cameron Bancroft slapped with a nine-month punishment.
Smith and Warner have played Sydney grade cricket during their bans, as well as appeared in the Global T20 Canada and Caribbean Premier League.
The duo are expected to return for the World Cup and Ashes in England this summer - though Australia may now be sweating on Smith's fitness.
Smith was due to play in the Pakistan Super League in February and March and then for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, which is due to begin on March 23.
