'Ready To Miss T20 World Cup To Be...': Injured Steve Smith's Big Statement

Due to the Covid epidemic, the T20 World Cup will now be held in the UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14 instead of India. The Ashes series will be played from December 8.

Photo: Getty Images

Veteran Australia batsman Steve Smith, who is currently recovering from an elbow injury, said that Test cricket is his top priority and he is ready to stay out of the T20 World Cup to try to maintain fitness for the Ashes series against England. The 32-two-year-old withdrew from the limited overs tour of the West Indies due to an elbow injury.

Smith told 'cricket.com.au', "It is time for the World Cup and I am on my way to be fit right now. Slowly but surely I am recovering."

READ | Record: Mithali Raj Becomes Top Run-Getter In International Cricket Across All Formats

Due to the Covid epidemic, the T20 World Cup will now be held in the UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14 instead of India. The Ashes series will be played from December 8.

Smith said, "I want to play the World Cup, but in my view Test cricket is paramount. I don't want to miss the Ashes and want to repeat my success in that. Even if I have to stay out of the World Cup for this, I am ready, but hopefully such a situation will not happen."

Steve Smith, who was caught in ball tampering in South Africa, made a big return to Test cricket after a one-year ban. He performed brilliantly in the four Test matches of the Ashes series against England, scoring 774 runs at an average of 110.57, including 2 remarkable centuries.

Steve Smith, the mainstay of Australian batting, wants to overcome two challenges before he retires - one by defeating arch-rivals England on their home soil and the other in success in the Test series in India.

Australia retained the Ashes last year after a 2-2 draw in England, but the loss in the final Test at the Oval still hurts Smith, who was the star of the series with 774 runs in four Tests with a strike rate of 110.57.