Sydney, January 12: Australian batting icon Steve Smith has no plans of retiring anytime soon, with the veteran setting his sights on representing the nation in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in the shortest format of the game.
Smith made a memorable return to T20 cricket and the Big Bash League, hitting his third Big Bash League century for Sydney Sixers against Perth Scorchers at his home ground, Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Smith tonked 10 fours and seven sixes in his 64-ball knock of 121 runs and struck at 189.06. In just 32 innings, he has levelled Ben McDermott's record of most centuries in the history of competition.
Though Smith's T20I numbers as of late are pretty underwhelming, Smith has been doing great in BBL and other T20 leagues whenever he gets a chance. Since 2020, Smith has played 31 T20Is, scoring just 517 runs at an average of 23.50 and a strike rate of over 121, with just one fifty to his name.
However, in all T20 matches since 2023, Smith has scored 950 runs in 21 innings at an average of 59.37, with three centuries and six fifties. This includes a title-winning run with Washington Freedom in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024, where he scored 336 runs in nine matches at an average of 56.00 and a strike rate of 148.67, with three half-centuries and a best score of 88.
In a statement to FOX Sports, Smith said, "I would like to play in the Olympics; I reckon that would be cool."
He added, "We will see how far I go in terms of long-form cricket. But I am going to play short-form cricket for a while I think when I do finish. You never know."
"There are a lot of good young kids who are smacking the ball out of the park. There are other guys around the country giving it a whack," he concluded.
Cricket will make its second appearance in the LA 2028 Olympics after 128 years. Its only previous appearance was in the 1900 Olympics.
Australia did not make it to the semifinals of last year's T20 World Cup, and Smith, who did not make the squad, has not discussed any future plans with the selectors. He is content to play two more games for Sydney Sixers before the tour to Sri Lanka at the end of the month, where he aims to score one more run to reach the 10,000 Test run mark.
"I have not really spoken about it (a recall). I am not really that fussed. I do what I do, enjoy coming back here playing for the Sixers and helping the team have success. I love the boys in that changeroom, it is a good group, I have been involved for a long time," he said.
Smith further added, "I could have played the other night maybe in Melbourne, but I needed a bit of down time after a pretty hectic five Test matches. I am glad I did not, I tried to freshen up a bit for tonight and fortunately, I was able to help the boys win."
"I find the more I play back-to-back games you get in sync with the game."
"Today for instance I do not think I played my first 10 balls really well, I was probably going a bit too hard for how the wicket was playing."
"I had a bit of luck early, and then from there found some rhythm. But if I am playing T20s regularly I probably come out with a slightly different mindset at the start, give myself a bit more time and just play better cricket shots than a bit of the rogue stuff. I think that would come if I was playing consistently.
"I think it is just the gears and going up and down in the gears throughout the innings. And just playing the percentages. Today we had a short boundary, and I was saying whenever I am on the short boundary side I am going to try and target it."
"And then if they go wide, which they tended to, I was looking for gaps on the off-side I could hit to. And then the other end was just play good smart cricket, targeted straight. I was hitting straight down the ground well off the spinners. Just intelligent batting," he concluded.
