The prolific batter will be 39 years old when LA28 Olympics will kick off.
Prolific Australian batter Steve Smith sets his eyes on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He has recently expressed his wish to represent Australia in the world’s biggest sporting event. The right-hand batter is currently working on his batting style, aiming for a T20I return by dominating T20 franchise leagues across the globe.
Smith has already taken a big step towards his goal, announcing his retirement from ODI cricket earlier in the year. He amassed 5,800 runs in 154 ODI matches, averaging 43.28 and a strike rate of 86.96. The Aussie batter has 12 hundreds and 35 fifties in the 50-over format.
Cricket is all set to return to the Olympic Games in 2028 after more than a century. The tournament will be played in a T20 format, confirmed by the ICC. The sport was a part of the Paris 1900 Olympics, but was played in the Test format. The 36-year-old Smith will be 39 when the LA 2028 Olympics commence. Hence, his chances of featuring in the Olympics look very dim.
“My goal is to try and play the Olympics. So, that’s what kind of motivates me,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo. “And yeah, I want to try and keep getting better in the shorter format of the game and keep putting my best foot forward.”
Smith has been participating in T20 competitions whenever he gets a break from the busy international schedule. He has been actively taking part in the Big Bash League, Major League Cricket, and other T20 competitions. The Australian batter is currently playing for Welsh Fire in 2025 The Hundred, aiming to make a strong impression on selectors. He played a quickfire 18-ball, 29-run knock at 161.11 in the campaign opener against Northern Superchargers. His numbers in BBL were also impressive, where he hit 173 runs in two innings at a strike rate of 182.
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Smith has been a consistent performer in Test cricket for a decade. But the 36-year-old hasn’t been able to dominate T20 cricket. Despite his supremely consistent performances, Smith often faces criticism over his modest strike rate in T20 cricket. As a result, he failed to seal his spot in Australia’s T20I side. The Australian batter boasts 5835 runs in 259 matches at an average of 32.41 and a modest strike rate of 130.41.
Smith has played only four matches for Australia in the last two years. The 36-year-old’s last T20I appearance came in February 2024 against New Zealand in Auckland. He now further faces challenges from the T20 specialist batters like Josh Inglis, Mitchell Owen, Cameron Green, and many others to sneak into the team. As he eyes the LA28 Olympics, Smith hopes an explosive league performance will help reignite his T20I career.
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