Stand-in Australian skipper Steve Smith has revealed the events leading up to his late withdrawal from the third Ashes Test.
Meanwhile, a former England spinner has named an Australian coach to potentially replace the besieged Brendon McCullum.
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Smith, 36, missed the Adelaide Test due to “nausea and dizziness” amid vestibular issues he’s experienced intermittently in the past.
And speaking on the eve of the Boxing Day Test, Smith, who’ll stand in as captain for the injured Pat Cummins, admitted he was “all over the place” in the days leading up to Adelaide.
“As soon as I started batting in Adelaide I didn’t feel great, wasn’t tracking the ball well, had a bit of head stuff going on,” Smith told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Three days out, hit again, played golf that afternoon. I’d already spoken to ‘Ron’ (coach Andrew McDonald) and was like ‘I don’t feel great’, so he goes ‘just try to get out and do some things and see how it goes’. So I played that afternoon, felt awful that night.
“I felt terrible the next day, didn’t hit or do much. Then I hit the next morning and felt ordinary again. I tried the next day, morning of the game and I just wasn’t … I couldn’t track the ball. Felt dizzy.
“When I had my head back and come up (to face), I needed to recalibrate every time my head came up, it was all over the place, and in the end, we made the right decision.”
Despite having been cleared to play at the MCG, Smith added he’s “still talking to people (experts) about” his vestibular troubles.
Aus announce fresh faces for MCG Test | 09:31
Under-fire England coach Brendon McCullum faces mounting pressure to retain his position amid a bid to avoid an Ashes whitewash.
But if things continue not to go according to plan for the Poms, it could be the end of ‘Bazball’ and time to cast a wide net elsewhere.
If such a situation was to unfold, former England spinner Monty Panesar says an Australian former Sheffield Shield and Big Bash League coach should be among the considerations.
“If he doesn’t do very well, they should look at another coach like Darren Berry,” Panesar told 3AW on Tuesday.
“I think he is brilliant … He knows the system really well. He helped out the young guys in Australian cricket like Travis Head.
“If Brendon McCullum doesn’t succeed in the next few Test matches, I think he is the guy they should look at. He will help this England team to know how to beat Australia.”
Despite “huge hope” that England could compete in this Ashes series, Panesar retrospectively doubted the visitors’ preparations — with the side now mired in off-field controversy as it’s investigated by the ECB over excessive drinking during a Noosa trip.
“(Preparation this year) wasn’t taken as seriously as an Ashes period (should be),” Panesar said.
“Australia are a tough team, the men are hard. You play against them and they won’t give you an inch because they are a strong side. We’ve underestimated them a bit, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum in particular.
“Now, they are probably putting their hand up and thinking, ‘we did get the preparation wrong’.”
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