'I don't even know if I'll be there': ICC Test No.2 Steve Smith uncertain over Ashes 2027 in England
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newspoint|16-09-2026
Steve Smith has admitted he is not certain whether he will still be playing Test cricket when Australia travel to England for the 2027 Ashes , raising fresh questions over the future of one of Australia's greatest modern batters.
The 37-year-old is taking his Test career series by series and has refused to set a retirement date. While the prospect of finally winning an Ashes series in England remains an attraction, Smith acknowledged that he could walk away from Test cricket before next summer's series.
“I don’t even know if I’ll be there yet,” Smith told The Telegraph when asked about the 2027 Ashes.
Smith keeps retirement decision open
Smith has made it clear that he is not thinking too far ahead with his Test career. Instead, the Australian batter is assessing his motivation and energy after each series.
“I’m kind of a series-by-series proposition, as I’ve been for a while,” he said.
Smith has already enjoyed an extraordinary Test career, featuring in 125 Tests and scoring 37 centuries. He is also currently ranked second among men's Test batters, behind England's Harry Brook. Despite his age, Smith said he is still enjoying playing cricket and has no fixed 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,” he said.
Winning an Ashes series in England still on his list
One of the few major achievements missing from Smith's illustrious career is winning an Ashes series outright in England. Australia retained the Ashes during Smith's tours in 2019 and 2023, with both series ending 2-2. However, Australia have not won an Ashes series in England since 2001.
Smith admitted that winning the Ashes in England would be special, but the possibility of achieving that goal is not enough for him to commit to playing in 2027.
“I’d love to win one there or to have won one there, but you wait and see if that comes to fruition,” he said.
Smith turns his attention to LA 2028 Olympics
Rather than making the 2027 Ashes his main long-term target, Smith revealed that his biggest ambition at this stage of his career is to represent Australia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Cricket will return to the Olympic programme at LA 2028 in the T20 format, giving Smith another reason to continue developing his game in the shortest format.
The Australian is currently playing for the Amsterdam Flames in the European T20 Premier League, with Smith saying that one of his motivations for joining the competition was to play more T20 cricket.
“Right now probably it’s just the Olympics to try to be a part of that,” Smith said.
Australia will travel to South Africa for a three-game Test series in October, which is Smith’s first Test trip to the country since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal that led to his 12-month ban from international cricket.
“Oh, for me, it’s just another series. All that happened a long time ago, and we’ve played a lot of cricket – we’ve been back to South Africa since then for one-dayers. They’re a good side at the moment – obviously beat us in the World Test Championship final. They have a really good pace attack as well, so should be a cracker of a series.”
The 37-year-old is taking his Test career series by series and has refused to set a retirement date. While the prospect of finally winning an Ashes series in England remains an attraction, Smith acknowledged that he could walk away from Test cricket before next summer's series.
“I don’t even know if I’ll be there yet,” Smith told The Telegraph when asked about the 2027 Ashes.
Smith keeps retirement decision open
Smith has made it clear that he is not thinking too far ahead with his Test career. Instead, the Australian batter is assessing his motivation and energy after each series.
“I’m kind of a series-by-series proposition, as I’ve been for a while,” he said.
Smith has already enjoyed an extraordinary Test career, featuring in 125 Tests and scoring 37 centuries. He is also currently ranked second among men's Test batters, behind England's Harry Brook. Despite his age, Smith said he is still enjoying playing cricket and has no fixed 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,” he said.
Winning an Ashes series in England still on his list
One of the few major achievements missing from Smith's illustrious career is winning an Ashes series outright in England. Australia retained the Ashes during Smith's tours in 2019 and 2023, with both series ending 2-2. However, Australia have not won an Ashes series in England since 2001.
Smith admitted that winning the Ashes in England would be special, but the possibility of achieving that goal is not enough for him to commit to playing in 2027.
“I’d love to win one there or to have won one there, but you wait and see if that comes to fruition,” he said.
Smith turns his attention to LA 2028 Olympics
Rather than making the 2027 Ashes his main long-term target, Smith revealed that his biggest ambition at this stage of his career is to represent Australia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Cricket will return to the Olympic programme at LA 2028 in the T20 format, giving Smith another reason to continue developing his game in the shortest format.
The Australian is currently playing for the Amsterdam Flames in the European T20 Premier League, with Smith saying that one of his motivations for joining the competition was to play more T20 cricket.
“Right now probably it’s just the Olympics to try to be a part of that,” Smith said.
Australia will travel to South Africa for a three-game Test series in October, which is Smith’s first Test trip to the country since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal that led to his 12-month ban from international cricket.
“Oh, for me, it’s just another series. All that happened a long time ago, and we’ve played a lot of cricket – we’ve been back to South Africa since then for one-dayers. They’re a good side at the moment – obviously beat us in the World Test Championship final. They have a really good pace attack as well, so should be a cracker of a series.”
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