Australia’s stand-in skipper Steve Smith has said that the final Test of the ongoing Ashes will definitely not be his last, adding cheekily that with Usman Khawaja quitting after the game, it would not be great if he too retired next week.
Smith on Saturday, January 3, dismissed any suggestion that the SCG Test against England would be his last, reiterating that he has long preferred to assess his future on a series-by-series basis.
Australia will host Bangladesh for a two-Test series in Mackay and Darwin in August, marking the start of the busiest 12-month stretch in the team’s history.
This will be followed by a five-Test tour of India in January and February, before the 150th anniversary Test against England in March, ahead of the 2027 Ashes.
Australia sit atop the World Test Championship standings as well, with the final all set to mark the start of their 2027 tour of England.
“Ultimately, you probably want a group of players that you can get to and have playing in that cycle to get to the World Test Championship final. But I guess that’s a question for the coach and selectors as well,” Smith said while speaking at the pre-match press conference.
“I’ve still got a while before that as well. It’s things I’m thinking about all the time. With Usman dropping off now, it’s one of our experienced players, so it probably wouldn’t be ideal if he and I went out this week, for instance,” Smith added.
When asked if the Sydney Test could be his last, with Australia holding a 3-1 lead in the series, Smith was unequivocal.
“Nah (it won’t be). I’m enjoying it. It’s fun. We’ve got a really good team. The team we’ve had over the last three or four years, obviously making two World Test Championship finals, different people have stood up at different times,” Smith said.
