Australia might have already clinched the urn, but vice-captain Steve Smith’s campaign took an unexpected turn when he found himself stuck in a hotel lift, two days after the end of the MCG Test.

Through a series of stories on his Instagram handle, Smith journaled his ordeal like a seasoned vlogger, sharing the news to his 2.8 million-strong list of followers.

“So, not quite the night that I had planned,” Smith said. “I am currently stuck in a lift. I have been in here for about 25 minutes. I am on my floor – staying on level 20 – but the doors won’t open”.

As the wait extended, the No.4 ranked Test batter proceeded to settle himself on the lift floor, still recording. On the other side was world Test batter No.1, Marnus Labuschagne, doing his bit to help out his teammate, as always.

“Well, just taking a seat,” Smith said, sounding like someone who’s been through several jammed lifts. “What else do you do when you’re stuck in a lift? I could be here for a while. Anyone got any suggestions on what I could do? Throw him out there, let’s do it”.

Soon enough, it was Marnus to his rescue once again.

Through a small gap between the doors, Labuschagne partly slipped in a pack and dropped a few M&Ms in Smith’s palm.

As the wait pushed towards an hour, Smith even tried out a few of Instagram’s quirky filters.

Not long after, the repair crew pried the door open. Smith climbed out to a roaring cheer from onlookers, even giving a final update from his hotel bed.

“Safely back in my room, finally out of the lift. That certainly was an experience. Fifty-five minutes I will probably never get back!”

Arguably the footage of the Ashes.

such incredible content from the big man stuck in a lift pic.twitter.com/5XtZasAMWk

— Abi Slade (@abi_slade) December 30, 2021

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