Australian cricket legend Steve Smith has cast doubt on his involvement in next summer’s Ashes series, admitting he may retire from Test cricket before then. The 37-year-old, currently ranked the world's second-best Test batsman, is prioritising T20 cricket with an eye on the 2028 Olympic Games.
Smith, who plays for Amsterdam Flames in the European T20 Premier League, told The Telegraph that the Olympics are a current goal. Cricket will return to the Games in Los Angeles in the T20 format for the first time in 128 years.
Regarding the 2027 Ashes, Smith stated, "I don’t even know if I’ll be there yet. I’m kind of a series-by-series proposition." He has never won an Ashes series on English soil, a milestone that even after 125 Test matches and 37 centuries, is not enough to secure his commitment.
Smith also dismissed the significance of Australia's upcoming three-Test series in South Africa next month, his first visit since the 2018 sandpaper incident. He described it as "just another series," adding, "All that happened a long time ago."