Veteran Australia batter Steve Smith is taking his Test career on a day-by-day and series-by-series basis, remaining unsure if he will feature in the 2027 Ashes tour of England.
While an outright series win in England remains on his bucket list, the 37-year-old has no fixed retirement date or final end timeline in Test cricket.
For now, Smith is focusing on the intensely packed red-ball calendar for Cricket Australia, which includes a tour to South Africa later this year and the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India early next year.
“I don’t even know if I’ll be there yet,” Smith told The Telegraph, when asked about the prospect of another Ashes campaign in England. “I’m kind of a series-by-series proposition, as I’ve been for a while, and that’s still a fair way away for me right now. So, yeah, I’d love to win one there or to have won one there, but you wait and see if that comes to fruition.”
Beyond red-ball cricket, Smith expressed his desire to return to the T20I format with ambitions of playing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. His decision to keep playing franchise cricket, including his current stint for Amsterdam Flames in the European T20 Premier League, is directly linked to that ambition.
“Right now probably it’s just the Olympics to try to be a part of that,” Smith said. “One of the reasons why I wanted to play with Amsterdam here was just to continue playing as much T20 cricket as I can. I was keen immediately to come and play in a new market and, hopefully, share some experiences with the local players and associate players: share a dressing room with them and try to impart some of my knowledge on to them. It’s been really good.”
Smith also hinted at extending his career in T20 cricket even after he steps away from Test matches. While his famous, hyper-focused obsession with batting technique makes his long-term future in coaching an intriguing prospect, the Australian star remains undecided on a transition to the dugout, choosing instead to prioritize his remaining years on the pitch.
“I still like to think I could play T20 cricket for a while,” he stated. “What’s next for me when I finish? I’m not sure, but yeah, hopefully a bit more time left playing. I’ve achieved a lot in the game. It’s been a great ride for the last 15 years or thereabouts. I’ve had a lot of fun. I’m still enjoying it, so I don’t have an end date, we’ll wait and see. But it’s been a good ride."
