- Steve Smith has been sidelined for the Afghanistan game
- The batsman is suffering from dizziness in Mumbai
- The cricketers are struggling with heavy air pollution in India
A bout of vertigo has sidelined Steve Smith as Australia look to seal their place in the World Cup semi-final against Afghanistan in Mumbai.
Cameron Green has also dropped out to make way for fellow all-rounders Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell, who return for Australia’s penultimate group stage match (AEDT) on Tuesday evening.
Smith reported dizziness symptoms the day before the match and was left out of the XI after struggling to warm up.
After a five-match winning streak, Australia lost the toss and will bowl first against the Afghans, who are battling to keep their own semi-final hopes alive.
Maxwell is in good form with the bat and useful for his part-time gig, having recovered from the concussion he suffered in a freak golfing accident ahead of the win over England in the last start.
Steve Smith has been sidelined for Australia’s match against Afghanistan
The batsman suffered from dizziness in Mumbai, with air pollution also a problem
Opener-turned-no. 3 Marsh is back from personal leave after the death of his grandfather.
A place in the semi-finals had seemed likely for Australia since the middle of the tournament.
But the team can officially book a date with South Africa in the knockout stages by beating Afghanistan or Bangladesh on Saturday.
Afghanistan, the biggest overachievers of this World Cup, have brought in Naveen-ul-Haq for fellow pacer Fazhalhaq Farooqi as their only substitute in the side that defeated the Netherlands last week.