'Oh jeez, that hurt': Steve Smith feared he required surgery after suffering elbow injury in BBL

Steve Smith feared he could require surgery for an elbow injury he suffered in the BBL as he prepares to make his leadership return with the Australian Test squad.

The 35-year-old rejoined his teammates in Dubai ahead of the two-Test Sri Lanka series on Tuesday after being cleared of any major damage to his right elbow.

Having previously undergone surgery on the same elbow following a fielding mishap, Smith admitted he feared he could be set for an extended absence.

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Smith explained he first felt the pain after taking a catch off David Warner over the boundary, which he threw back inside the rope before throwing the ball to the middle.

"Straight away I thought, 'oh jeez, that hurt'," he recalled of the incident.

"That was a similar sort of feeling to when I ruptured my ligament back in 2019, so I was a bit worried.

"But scans showed fortunately my ligament is still intact, the one that I got repaired. I've got a little bit of muscle damage, and it's a small millimetre of the ligament on the bone that's doing something."

Smith confirmed that the injury may prevent him from how much he can throw in the field but should have no issue with his batting.

"In terms of batting I'm pretty comfortable I'll be able to get into it and play with some tape on it," Smith said.

Smith has been named as captain of the squad in the absence of Pat Cummins, who managed an ankle injury during the Test summer.

The fast bowler is also still in doubt for the Champions Trophy despite being named. Monday's update from CA did not include news on Cummins.

"Pat Cummins is recovering from increased left ankle soreness which was aggravated by high workloads during the Test summer," CA said on Sunday.

"He will seek specialist rehabilitation advice this week and is likely to require a period of physical preparation and recovery.

"The NSP (national selection panel) will continue to monitor Cummins' recovery leading into the Champion's Trophy."

Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann is still on track to play the Sri Lankan Test series.

Kuhnemann had surgery on Friday after fracturing his right thumb playing for the Brisbane Heat.

CA said the plan was for him to resume bowling this week before joining the squad if his progress goes well.

The first Test in Sri Lanka is on January 29.