‘I don’t even know if I’ll be there’: ICC Test No.2 Steve Smith unsure about Ashes 2027 in England

Steve Smith has admitted he is unsure whether he will still be playing Test cricket when Australia travel to England for the 2027 Ashes, raising fresh questions about the future of one of Australia’s greatest modern batsmen.The 37-year-old is taking his Test career series by series and has refused to set a retirement date. While the prospect of a final Ashes series victory in England remains an allure, Smith has admitted he could retire from Test cricket before next summer’s series.“I don’t even know if I’ll still be there,” Smith told The Telegraph when asked about the 2027 Ashes.

Smith is keeping his retirement decision open

Smith has made it clear that he is not thinking too far ahead with his Test career. Instead, the Australian batsman assesses his motivation and energy after each series.“I’m kind of a streak-by-streak draft, as I’ve been for a while,” he said.Smith has already enjoyed an outstanding Test career, appearing in 125 Tests and scoring 37 centuries. He is also currently ranked second among men’s Test batsmen, behind England’s Harry Brooke. Despite his age, Smith said he still enjoys playing cricket and has no set retirement date.“I’ve achieved a lot in the game. It’s been a great ride over the last 15 years or so. 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 the Ashes series in England is still on his bucket list

One of the few major achievements missing from Smith’s illustrious career is an Ashes series win right here in England. Australia retained the Ashes during Smith’s 2019 and 2023 tours, 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 win one there but wait and see if it works out,” he said.

Smith is turning his attention to the 2028 LA Olympics

Rather than making the 2027 Ashes his main long-term goal, Smith revealed that his biggest ambition at this stage of his career is to represent Australia at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Cricket will return to the Olympic program in LA 2028 in the T20 format, giving Smith further reason to continue to develop his game in the shortest format.The Australian currently plays for Amsterdam Flames in the European T20 Premier League, with Smith saying one of his motivations for entering the competition was to play more T20 cricket.“Right now, it’s probably just the Olympics to try to be a part of it,” Smith said.Australia will travel to South Africa for a three-match Test series in October, 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, it’s just another series for me. All that happened a long time ago and we’ve played a lot of cricket – we’ve been back to South Africa for one-dayers since then. They’re a good side at the moment – they obviously beat us in the World Test Championship final. They’ve got really good pace too, so it should be a cracking series.”