Says he sees himself playing the T20 format longer than the other two
Steven Smith has committed to three more years in the BBL • Getty Images
Steven Smith has not ruled out the possibility of pushing to represent Australia at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles with T20 likely to be a format he keeps playing longer than others although he has no retirement plans in his mind.
Smith has signed a new three-year deal with Sydney Sixers in the BBL, which means he will be playing professional cricket until at least 2026-27. But he would need to force his way back into Australia’s T20 set-up were he to be realistic about the Olympics the following year having been omitted for this year’s T20 World Cup.
“I could still be playing T20 cricket in four years, so you never know,” he said. “It’s a format I can see myself playing probably for a lot longer than some of the others, especially with the franchise stuff around the world. I’ve signed on here for three years so it’s only another year after that. It would be cool to be part of an Olympics.”
But as far as the various international formats go, it remains the status quo for Smith. “I don’t have any plans,” he said. “I’m just enjoying playing at the moment, I’m pretty relaxed and looking forward to this summer.”
Of more immediate significance for Smith is the upcoming international schedule. He will return to action in the ODIs in England next month (having again been left out for the T20Is) before the main event of India’s visit. Amid the conjecture around whether he will remain Australia’s Test opener, Smith is relishing the prospect of facing India over a five-match series.
It will be the first time the two teams have taken on each other across five Tests since 1991-92 although there has been no shortage of drama in the four-match contests in recent times. Australia are aiming to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in ten years, having not beaten India since the 2014-15 series on home soil.
“You can’t really hide in a five-Test series like you probably can in a two-match series for instance,” Smith said. “If someone gets the wood on you, it can be hard coming back from that. It’s going to be a wonderful series.
“We are probably the two best teams at the moment in Test cricket. We played the World Test Championship final last year and beat them there. They’ve been great out here the last couple of times, they’ve played really good cricket, hopefully we can turn the tables. It’s been ten years since we last won the Border-Gavaskar trophy so need to do that this year.”
“I’m happy to bat anywhere. Batting at four, I could be in after the first two balls. I’ve been in early on many occasions and faced the new ball”
Smith on the debate around his batting position
If Australia retain the batting order they have had since David Warner’s retirement in January, Smith will be opening against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. Smith, who has a chance to pass 10,000 runs this summer, was elevated up the order when he told the selectors he was keen for the role. It also allowed Cameron Green to return at a more natural No. 4 but results were mixed for Smith across four Tests with 171 runs at 28.50 although that included a superb unbeaten 91 against West Indies.
It is likely to be a topic that will dominate the next few months with Smith set to have some Sheffield Shield cricket before the India series.
“The conversations I’ve had so far is that we’ll go to England… I’m there for the one-dayers, then make a decision after that,” he said. “There’s conversations happening in the background. You see some comments that guys like Usman [Khawaja] has said he likes me down at No. 4, think Marnus is of a similar thought pattern. We’ll wait and see. I’m happy to bat anywhere.
“For me, it’s just a position. Batting at four, I could be in after the first two balls. I’ve been in early on many occasions and faced the new ball. For me, it’s kind of just a number. I batted at three for a long period of time as well and we lost wickets inside the first over and I’ll come out and score runs. The only real thing I had to get used to was how quick a turnaround it is when you come off the field and you only have ten minutes, particularly with the amount of mucking around I have in the changing rooms.”
Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo
