Australian batter Steve Smith has not yet made the decision on whether he will still be playing Test cricket by the time the next Ashes series arrives in England. In a recent interview with The Telegraph,
the 37-year-old Australian batter admitted he simply does not know if he will be there for the next Ashes. “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,” Smith said.
Steven Smith said, “I don’t even know if I’ll be there for the 2027 Ashes. I’d love to win one in England, but you wait and see if that comes to fruition”. (The Telegraph). https://t.co/n7E6b0mq41
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 14, 2026
Steve Smith has achieved almost everything in the longest format yet remains deliberately non-committal about his future. He has never been part of an Australian side that won the Ashes on English soil. That could be one reason why he could carry on but he has made it clear to take it one at a time. It is no longer enough to lock him in more than a year ahead. He will face off against South Africa in the upcoming series followed by the Border Gavaskar Trophy against India.
Steve Smith sets sights on 2028 Olympics as he targets more T20 cricket
Speaking while playing for Amsterdam Flames in the European T20 Premier League, Smith made clear his longer-term focus has shifted. “Right now probably it’s just the Olympics [as a goal] to try to be a part of that,” he explained. “One of the reasons why I wanted to play with Amsterdam here was just to continue playing as much T20 cricket as I can,” he added.
Cricket will return to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 as a T20 event, and Smith who will be 39 during that time has it as the main remaining ambition. He still enjoys the game and has set no firm retirement date. “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, ”he said.
The Australian batter also added that he believes he can keep playing T20 cricket for some time yet. “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,” he added. At a stage when most players are counting down the series, Smith is choosing not to look too far ahead. The Ashes in England would be special but the Olympics and continued T20 cricket is one of his priorities at this moment.
