Australia cricketer Steve Smith is gearing up for the upcoming three-match Test series against Pakistan at home. This is also the last Test series of David Warner's Test career as he has already announced that the New Year Test in Sydney will be his last in the format. But will Smith, 34, follow his footsteps and hang up his boots from the longest format of the game?
As far as his manager Warren Craig is concerned, it is not happening anytime soon. Steve Smith is not retiring from red-ball cricket at all as Warren stated that the cricketer keeps talking about his upcoming achievements. "I can debunk that (retirement) at this point in time. He is still talking about things he wants to achieve," he said according to Sydney Morning Herald. Meanwhile, Smith will also take part in the opening game of Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL) that started on December 7.
Though Australia won the World Cup, Smith's bat didn't roar as he would've liked and for the same reason, the former Australia skipper will be keen on putting his best foot forward in the Test series against Pakistan. He has so far played 102 Test matches and amassed 9320 runs with 32 tons and 39 fifties to his name at an average of 58.6. He can reach the 10000-run milestone in the next few months as well with Australia scheduled to play as many as seven Test matches before the Indian Premier League (IPL).
After three Tests against Pakistan, they will host West Indies for two matches and then will tour New Zealand for the two-match Test series. If Smith hits form at the start of the home season, he can definitely muster around 700 runs in potentially 14 innings available to play until March 2024.
