Sad day looms as Steve Smith keeps Australia guessing on Test future
Australia are fine with Steve Smith taking a series-by-series approach to his Test future as the superstar batter rounds out the summer in a “sweet spot” of form.
As stand-in captain, Smith was named player of the series for guiding Australia to a 2-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka, their first series win in the island nation since 2011.
Smith made two centuries in as many innings to reiterate his status as Australia’s master of Asian conditions, finishing the series with 272 runs at an average of 136.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.It came after the No.4 tonned up in both Brisbane and Melbourne against India as part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph in the recent home summer.
After the Sri Lanka series finished in Galle on Sunday, the subcontinent menace reiterated that he had not brought himself to think about Australia’s next Asian tour to India in 2027.
“I’ll keep playing, keep enjoying it and take it day by day,” the 35-year-old said.
Smith will be 37 when that tour of India rolls around, and there’s a World Test Championship final, away series against West Indies and South Africa, and home Ashes and New Zealand series to go before then.
That’s not to mention the glut of white-ball cricket that awaits, with Smith still a fixture of the one-day international set-up.
Smith has previously indicated his desire to play limited-overs cricket for Australia at the 2028 Olympics, but could still choose to retire from Tests before then.
Despite his importance to plans on the subcontinent this time, coach Andrew McDonald will not push Smith to make any firm decisions about the 2027 Indian tour or his future generally.
“We’re blessed to have him. He’s coming into another sweet spot in his career,” McDonald said.
“Hopefully that sort of form, he doesn’t want to give up on that too soon. He plays every series and assesses where he’s at at the end of it.
“When you’re at that age and you’ve accomplished so much in your career, you’re entitled to be able to do that.”
After going almost four years without handing a Test debut to an out-and-out batter, Australia began to tap into a goldmine of batting options during the recent summer.
Teen opener Sam Konstas, natural leader Nathan McSweeney, middle-order swashbuckler Josh Inglis and batting allrounder Cooper Connolly all wore the baggy green for the first time as Australia looked to a future without their ageing superstars.
It has resulted in a selection headache that will kick in for the World Test Championship final in June, with soon-to-be fit Cameron Green also firming as an option.
Despite the embarrassment of riches, McDonald says it will be a sad day when Smith, the fourth Australian to pass 10,000 Test runs, decides to call it quits.
“The day that he goes, it’ll be a big hole,” McDonald said.
“When that comes, we’re not sure at this stage. As a coach I’d love to have him for as long as possible.”
Originally published on 7NEWS Sport
