Steve Smith, the Australian cricket team captain, is all set to return to action by playing for his state team New South Wales (NSW) against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield encounter at Adelaide this week.
Smith, who suffered an injury to his shoulder ahead of the three-match T20I series against India. did not play in the series and in his absence, Australia tied the series 1-1 with the final game being washed out at Hyderabad.
Smith will get as many as three matches in the Sheffield Shield to prove his fitness and get into the groove ahead of the Ashes 2017-18, which begins November 23 at The Gabba in Brisbane against England.
The Australian captain on Tuesday launched his biography, titled The Journey, on Tuesday.
Speaking to the media, Smith informed about his recovery. "The shoulder is coming along really well. I had probably 10 days off after I came home from India," Smith said.
"I had a hit on Thursday and Saturday, pain free. I havent thrown yet but Im going to get into that this afternoon with NSW training. But it's coming along really well, so Im fine to play in the Shield game this Friday," the Australian captain added.
Smith said the opportunity of playing as many as three matches in the Sheffield Shield presents the Australian cricketers a great chance to gear up for the impending Ashes series.
"It's a great little preparation for the international guys, three Shield games before the first Test hasnt happened for a long time. It's also a good opportunity for a few guys to stand up, knowing there might be a few positions up for grabs, it puts a little bit of pressure on," he added.
Australia had whitewashed England 5-0 in their previous encounter Down Under in 2013/14 but Joe Root's side took their revenge and reclaimed the Ashes by winning the series in England 3-2 in 2015.
