It was the bombshell retirement we didn’t see coming — but maybe we should have.
Steve Smith called time on one of Australia’s greatest-ever one-day international careers on Wednesday in the hours after a Champions Trophy semifinal defeat to India.
It opens the door for him to play more Twenty20 cricket and to clear his schedule in a bid to extend the rejuvenated back-end of his incredible Test career.
There is not another 50-over World Cup until 2027, by which time Australia’s next two flagship Test series would have come and gone.
It’s no secret Smith has his sights firmly fixed on next summer’s Ashes series and the tour of India 14 months after that. The World Cup is another six months down the line from the next Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
Smith follows in the footsteps of fellow Ashes captain Ben Stokes in retiring from ODIs in either of the other formats. Stokes then back-flipped on that and played in the 2023 tournament in India.
That door would remain open for Smith if he is still at the top of his game, particularly in T20 cricket.
But what stepping away from everything before the 2027 World Cup means he can play in tournaments like The Hundred — where he will turn out for the first time this winter — and increase his commitments in India and the United States, where he spends a lot of time.
It means Smith will be able to cash in on the final years of his career around the world.
And it is also a win for Australian cricket, who will have their most important Test batter primed and ready for their next two biggest series. As the team prepares to evolve, having one of its greatest cricket minds around for a little longer is a significant boost.
Smith scored 5800 runs from 170 ODIs. It leaves him the 12th most prolific Australian of all time, but almost all the names above him have played far more matches.
Now he has jumped off the sport’s elephant in the room. A dwindling format famous in Australia but lacklustre around the world and reeling from a tournament that turned a spotlight on its demise.
