Australian batter Steve Smith sent a scare through the Australian camp ahead of the first Ashes Test on Friday, sustaining a blow to the finger in a nets session.
Smith required treatment and stopped his practice, pictured sitting on a chair whilst a medic examined his finger.
Smith's 2019 Ashes performance was one for the history books, averaging 110.57 for the series, despite a delayed concussion which saw him ruled out of the Third Test. When he returned for the Fourth Test, he showed no lingering side effects as he scored a magnificent 211.
The 2019 Ashes was also Smith's return to Test Cricket after the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa, returning in such strong form that you wouldn't have even thought he'd missed a year of cricket.
Smith has declared he is ready to absorb the pressure that England will bring to the series.
"Think we've seen the last few months that they do some funky things and they are going to have to try some different things at certain times," Smith said, via foxsports.com.au.
"One of my big strengths is being able to adapt on the go and understand what they are trying to do and sort of solve the problem out in the middle. I'll just focus on my game and try and counter each thing they come at me with, but we are expecting some different stuff, that's for sure."
Australia has never won an Ashes in England since 2001. They are yet to name their XI for the Test at Edgbaston and are facing a selection squeeze, with Scott Boland's performance in the World Test Championship Final putting pressure on Josh Hazlewood.
The Ashes action will start on Friday at Edgbaston at 8:00pm (AEST).
