Steve Smith has openly discussed his retirement plans following Australia’s 4-1 win over England in the Ashes 2025-26 series, but he has kept his cards close to his hands regarding his future in the baggy green for now.
Steve Smith announces retirement after Ashes victory, eyes 2027
Australia clinched the Ashes 2025-26 in spectacular style with a five-wicket win over England in the final game in Sydney, winning the five-match Test series 4-1. While the celebrations were loud, the focus quickly turned to what’s next for the aging players, Smith included.
Following the Ashes win, the stand-in captain opened up on age, the future and whether he’s still there for the next big challenge. Smith explained that the group still has bigger goals. The biggest among them is to win the Ashes series in England in 2027.
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However, the veteran batsman admitted that there is uncertainty over his future as he will be 38 when the next Ashes series begins in England in 2027, making his participation not guaranteed by then. Therefore, he refused to do anything for the time being.
The old warrior who defeated the doubters
Australia fielded one of the oldest Test teams ever. In both the Perth and Sydney Tests, the XI had 10 players over the age of 30. Only seven teams have done this in the entire history of Test cricket, and Australia did it twice in this single series. The other five were in England sides between 1909 and 1926 in the early 1900s.
Before the Ashes series began, questions were raised whether Australia’s aging team would be able to keep pace with England’s young side. Those doubts were completely put to rest on the field as the Giants silenced all the critics with an impressive performance.
Mitchell Starc (35): Won the Player of the Series award for his lethal bowling by taking 31 wickets in all 5 Test matches.
Scott Boland (36): Played every Test, took 20 wickets at an average of 24.95.
Michael Neser (35): Took 15 wickets at an impressive average of 19.93 in just three Test matches.
Alex Carey (34): Scored 323 runs while playing an important role as both wicketkeeper and batsman.
Travis Head (32): Finished as the leading run scorer with 629 runs.
Steve Smith: Led Australia to victory by scoring 286 runs in 4 Tests.
Australia’s aging stars are keen to win the Ashes 2027 in England: Steve Smith
After Australia’s aging stars proved everyone wrong, Steve Smith said they are all looking forward to winning the Ashes in England in 2027. Speaking at the post-match press conference at the SCG on 8 January, Steve Smith made his immediate stance clear but admitted that time was ticking.
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“I’m sure everyone is excited to go out there and try to win the Ashes. The team we’ve had over the last four or five years is amazing. So hopefully we can keep going, keep getting better,” the veteran batsman was quoted as saying by Fox Cricket.
The unfinished business that inspired Steve Smith
The motivation for Steve Smith is clear: he has played four Ashes series in England so far (2013, 2015, 2019 and 2023), but has never won the prestigious series there. The 2019 Ashes in England was his best, in which he scored 774 runs at an average of over 110, which is very rare in Test cricket.
However, the right-handed batsman’s Ashes journey in England actually started much earlier. He played during the 2010 Ashes but mainly as a leg spinner. Now, he is hoping to maintain his fitness and form so that he can make it to the Australian team that tours England for the Ashes in 2027.
Smith signed off by saying, “It’s something I certainly haven’t done in my career, and something I want to tick off; whether I get there or not is a different question.”