'I Felt Like I'd Had a Dozen Beers to be Honest': Steve Smith Recalls Concussion Incident Off Jofra Archer's Bowling

Premier Australia batter Steve Smith recalled the moment when he got hit by Jofra Archer on the helmet and suffered a concussion. Smith failed to handle Archer’s lethal bouncer during the Lord’s Test match in Ashes 2019 as it hit him on the back of the head. The 34-year-old was in imperious form on that England tour and scored 774 runs in seven innings at an astonishing average of 110.54.

Smith was batting strong on 80 when Archer came into the attack and the bouncer stunned the Australian star. The ball managed to break Smith’s concentration and he was dismissed on 92, while Marnus Labuschagne replaced him as a concussion substitute.

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The Australian batter opened up on the incident and said before getting hit on he also dealt a blow on the arm.

“I caught one on the arm earlier, got away with a few pull shots that are top edges and a couple in the gaps, “Smith said on Legend of the Ashes podcast.

“And then I copped one in the back of the head, which hurt a fair bit. At that stage, I didn’t realise I was getting concussed.”

The 34-year-old said that it took him time to feel the concussion and after that, it felt like he had dozen of beers.

“It wasn’t until I came back out. Half-an-hour after, when the adrenalin sort of went out of my system and I started to feel quite groggy, probably like I’d had a dozen beers to be honest,” he added.

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Smith further recalled that it was tough for him to see the ball properly and pointed out the reasons including the weather and the bowling end.

“I wasn’t seeing the ball properly on an overcast day at Lord’s. It was quite a dark, gloomy day,” he remembered.

“The clouds were rolling in and out. Lord’s itself can be a little difficult when they are bowling from the members’ end with the members sitting there and the sightscreen not as big as at other grounds.”

“There were a few distractions there, and it was just a day (when) I wasn’t quite seeing the ball as well as I would have liked from that end,” said Smith.