Steven Smith in doubt for West Indies test due to finger injury in WTC Final

Steven Smith has avoided surgery on the compound dislocation he sustained on the third day of the match against South Africa at Lord's, but he still faces a race against time to be healthy enough to play in Australia's upcoming Test series against the West Indies. After leaving the field, Smith suffered an injury to his right little finger and missed a crucial Temba Bavuma opportunity. He went straight to the hospital. The wound was cleaned, stitched and the finger placed in a splint and it's understood he will be able to bat if he can tolerate doing so with the splint, which he will need to wear for up to eight weeks although the wound itself is expected to heal in around a fortnight. It would also need to be evaluated how it would affect him on the field, which could make it harder for him to field in the slips. After matches in Grenada and Jamaica in July, Australia's first West Indies Test begins on June 25 in Barbados, which seems unlikely. Between the conclusion of the WTC final and the beginning of the first Test, Smith was also expected to play for Washington Freedom for a brief time in Major League Cricket (MLC). "He's positive," Pat Cummins said. "I think it's somewhere around the 10 days to two weeks. Then maybe you try and bat with a splint and see how that looks. I think it's a bit of a wait and see. I'd recommend starting with the Test, which is probably not going to happen, and proceeding from there. It's a bit early just to tell." It would be a significant boost for Australia if Smith was able to play a part in the series given there is uncertainty over the top order after the struggles of Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green in the World Test Championship final. Khawaja's lean outing continued his difficulties against pace bowler over the last 12 months while Green faced just five balls in the Test, falling twice to Kagiso Rabada, in his first time batting at No. 3. After being moved to open, Labuschagne made two starts on 17 and 22, but he did not make a strong case for being kept in the role. Josh Inglis is the other spare batter on the current roster, while Sam Konstas is waiting in the wings for a possible recall.