Australia’s seasoned Test batter Steve Smith could announce his retirement from red-ball international cricket earlier than most fans might have been expecting. With Australia set to tour England for the Ashes in search of their first series win on English soil since 2001, the 37-year-old remains non-committal for that series and hinted at retiring from Test cricket before the marquee summer. Could the veteran cricketer retire after the India tour?
Will Steve Smith draw curtains on his Test career after the India tour early next year?
Australia’s gruelling period of Test cricket begins on October 9, when they lock horns in a three-match series against South Africa in their backyard, followed by four-Test rubber against New Zealand and a five-Test leg in India next year as the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be on the line. The former Australian skipper will be pivotal in India too, given the Aussies haven’t beaten the sub-continent nation in their backyard since 2004. Speaking about his prospects of playing in the Ashes series in 2027, the 37-year-old said in an interview with The Telegraph:
“I don’t even know if I’ll be there yet. 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. Right now probably it’s just the Olympics to try to be a part of that. 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 still like to think I could play T20 cricket for a while. What’s next for me when I finish? I’m not sure, but yeah, hopefully a bit more time left playing.”
What is Steve Smith’s Test record in England?
Smith remains one of the feared rivals for England even when playing in English conditions. The right-hander has compiled 2334 runs in 23 Tests in England, averaging a healthy 54.28. It includes a century and a half-century in two World Test Championship (WTC) finals.
The New South Welshman delivered one of the greatest performances in Test cricket during the 2019 Ashes series, aggregating 774 runs in four games at 110 with three hundreds. Australia will be dearly hoping for Smith to stay in the international arena until the 2027 Ashes series.
