Injury clouds over Australian batting before the Pink Test.

Just when the Pink Ball test is around the corner Australia's batting preparations have been disrupted over injury concerns as the team's important batsman Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschage face injury scares, when already the team's premier pacer Josh Hazelwood has been ruled out of the test match because of the injury. For a time there were serious concerns about the batter’s condition after the ball hit them.

What happened during the nets?
In two different events featuring Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne where Marnus was involved in both. While Steve Smith was facing through downs from Marnus a ball hit his right thumb, the hit was serious enough to attract the attention of medical staff, after which he temporarily abandoned the session but after some time he returned to the practice.

In a different event, when Labuschagne was practising with the team's assistant coach Daniel Vittori. he got a hit but he was resilient enough to continue with the practice after adjusting his body gears.

Impact on Team Balance
When the team is already facing injury issues with Jose Hazelwood due to his side strain, leading to his unavailability in the next test match making the team's pace attack already weak. If either Steve Smith or Marnus Labuschagne had a more serious injury the team problem would have increased, and it could have created a serious concern with the batting lineup.

Current form
Both Steve Smith and Marnus have not been going through a good form, instead, both are struggling while they are batting on the field.

Steve Smith’s recent numbers 
Average in 2024: 25.55
First Test’s score (BGT): 0 & 17
23 innings since hit a hundred.

Marnus Labuschagne's batting numbers 
Average in 2024: 24.50
First Test's score (BGT): 2 & 3
Only one fifty in the last ten innings 

Captain’s support 
Despite the poor form captain Pat Cummins has backed both players' and he believes both players will soon bounce back. Cummins also looked at the increased urgency in Labuschagne's batting approach.

Looking Forward
While both players are expected to play the second test of the Border Gavaskar trophy, their form and fitness remain a concern for Australian Cricket fans and team management. After a big defeat against India of 295 runs, the team will look to level the series in the second test. Despite the better record in the Pink Ball Day/Night test, injury concerns, Hazelwood absence and bad form remain a concern for the Australian team.