Steve Smith douses SCG Test retirement talk as Australia name side for fifth game against England

“We’ll know when we see the surface and understand what direction we want to go on this.”

Asked if the SCG’s reputation as a spin wicket continued into the race, Smith replied: “That’s why [not playing a spinner] It is still being talked about. This is so embarrassing.

“I like the old school SCG: flat for two days, foot prints start coming in, cracks open, reverse swing, turn late in the game, hard to bat on, slow, low wicket, fielders in front of the wicket.

“But unfortunately I don’t see that being the case as long as I’m playing.

“It’s probably one of Nathan Lyon’s worst places in Australia, so it’s all talked about.”

England captain Ben Stokes has been gunning for a similar decision on whether to select Shoaib Bashir, the only full-fledged spinner in the touring squad, or stick with part-time Will Jacks until matchday.

Changing rain forecasts for the first day have also left Australia holding back on deciding the final XI, but curator Adam Lewis said earlier this week that lessons had been learned from last year’s Australia-India Test, which was well completed over three days and saw only 10-plus spins bowled.

Lewis planned to leave six millimeters of turf on the goal by Thursday; Cricket Australia was desperate for the Test to go the distance after losing as much as $15 million in two-day finishes in Perth and Melbourne.

Smith, meanwhile, dismissed suggestions that he could follow Usman Khawaja into the SCG farewell storybook, pointing to the need to destabilize Australia ahead of the next cycle of Test tours.

Khawaja’s retirement announcement has increased interest in the Test side’s gradual renewal of an aging champion.

Smith acknowledged his experience in the middle order will become even more important as Australia begin a 12-month period in August that will feature at least 20 Tests, including tours to South Africa, India and England.

“He’s one of our experienced players now that Usman has left, so it probably wouldn’t be ideal for us to go out with him this week,” Smith said.

Loading

“I want to keep playing, so don’t overdo it. I’m still playing, I’m enjoying it, so we’ll wait and see.”

Australia’s return to South Africa in September looms as a particularly important campaign for Smith, given it is his first tour there since David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were suspended for the ball-tampering scandal in 2018.

A summer full of Tests against New Zealand, followed by a five-Test tour of India in February 2027, with the 150th anniversary Test against England and the Ashes being presented as a legacy-defining era for this generation.

The World Test Championship final will also take place before the 2027 Ashes, with Australia leading the standings after a surprise defeat by South Africa in the last cycle decider.

“I feel like we have a really good team,” Smith said.

“The team we’ve had over the last three or four years has been to two World Test Championship finals, different people have stood up at different times, it’s never been one or two people doing the job, it’s been shared.

“It made us a really good team, so it was nice to be a part of it and now as an older player, hopefully I can help some of the players and help teach them the game of Test cricket. That’s my role now.”

News, results and expert analysis from the sports weekend delivered every Monday. Sign up for our sports newsletter.