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Steven Peter Devereux Smith (born 2 June 1989) is an Australian international
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
er and former captain of the Australian national team. Smith has drawn comparisons to
Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...
, universally acknowledged as the greatest
batsman In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball, ball with a cricket bat, bat to score runs (cricket), runs and prevent the dismissal (cricket), loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since Septembe ...
of all time, due to his distinctively high Test batting average. Although he was initially selected for Australia as a right-arm
leg spin Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action. The leg spinner's normal delivery causes the ball to spin from right to left (from the bowler's perspective) when the ball bounces on the ...
ner, Smith later played primarily as a batsman. After playing five matches from 2010 to 2011, he was recalled to the Australian team in 2013, and took over the captaincy from Michael Clarke in late 2015, after which he predominantly batted at number 3 or 4. Awards he has won include the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) in 2015;
ICC Test Player of the Year The ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year is an annual award, presented since 2004 by the International Cricket Council to the best Test cricketer over the year in question. It is one of the annual ICC Awards. Selection The recipient of the annual ...
in 2015 and 2017; ICC Men's Test Player of the Decade for 2011–2020; the Allan Border Medal for the best player in Australian Cricket in 2015, 2018 and 2021; Australian Test Player of the Year in 2015 and 2018, and Australian One Day International Player of the Year in 2015 and 2021. He was named by ''
Wisden ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
'' as one of their
Cricketers of the Year The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
in the 2016
Wisden Almanack ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
. In 2014, New Zealand batsman
Martin Crowe Martin David Crowe (22 September 1962 – 3 March 2016) was a New Zealand cricketer, Test and ODI captain as well as a commentator. He played for the New Zealand national cricket team between 1982 and 1995, and is regarded as one of the count ...
described Smith as one of the young ''Fab Four'' of Test cricket along with Joe Root,
Kane Williamson Kane Stuart Williamson (born 8 August 1990) is a New Zealand cricketer who is currently the captain of the New Zealand national team in limited overs cricket. He is considered as New Zealand's greatest batsmen ever, as well as one of the best b ...
and Virat Kohli. On 30 December 2017, he reached a Test batting rating of 947, the second-highest of all time, only behind
Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...
's 961. In March 2018, Smith was widely criticised for overseeing
ball tampering In the sport of cricket, ball tampering is an action in which a fielder illegally alters the condition of the ball. The primary motivation of ball tampering is to interfere with the aerodynamics of the ball to aid swing bowling. Definition Unde ...
in the third Test against South Africa, during which he stood down from the team captaincy and was replaced by Tim Paine. Following an investigation by
Cricket Australia Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Crick ...
, Smith was banned from all international and domestic cricket in Australia for one year starting from 29 March 2018, and from consideration for any leadership role for an additional year.


Early and personal life

Steve Smith was born on 2 June 1989 in
Kogarah Kogarah () is a suburb of Southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres (9 miles) south-west of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area. Loca ...
,
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
to an Australian father, Peter, who has a degree in chemistry, and an English mother, Gillian. Smith attended Menai High School, and left at age 17 to play cricket in England where he played club cricket for Sevenoaks Vine in the
Kent Cricket League The Kent Cricket League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in Kent, England. The league was founded in 1970 and the first season of play was 1971. The twelve founding clubs were Ashford, Aylesford Paper Mills, Dart ...
. He did so well for Sevenoaks that he was picked to play for Surrey's second XI. Because his mother was born in London, Smith has dual British and Australian citizenship. In 2011, Smith started dating Dani Willis, a commerce and law student at
Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of ...
. In June 2017, the couple announced their engagement while on holiday in New York. The couple married at Berrima,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
on 15 September 2018.


Youth and domestic career

Smith was a member of the Australian team at the
2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup The 2008 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup was held in Malaysia from 17 February 2008 to 2 March 2008. The opening ceremony took place on 15 February 2008. The final was played between South Africa and India, which India won by 12 runs on the Duckwo ...
in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...
. In the tournament he scored 114 runs and took seven wickets in four matches. Smith made his first-class debut for
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
against
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...
at the SCG on 25 January 2008. He scored 33 in his only innings as New South Wales defeated Western Australia outright. He was part of the New South Wales team that won the 2009 Twenty20 Champions League. In the final against Trinidad and Tobago at
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...
, Smith made 33 with the bat and took two wickets. By the end of the 2009–10 domestic season, Smith had a first-class batting average of over 50 after 13 first-class matches. While his first-class bowling average in the high forties was not as impressive, his bowling appeared to be steadily improving following some well-publicised mentoring and praise from
Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, whose career ran from 1991 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-handed batsman for Victoria, Hampshire and Australi ...
. In the final match of the season he took 7 for 64 in the second innings against
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...
.


Big Bash League

Smith made his
Twenty20 Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inn ...
cricket debut for
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
in a match against South Australia at Adelaide on 1 January 2008 during the six team KFC Big Bash competition. Smith was the leading wicket taker at the 2008 Big Bash tournament. He took 4/15 against Queensland and finished with 9 wickets overall. He was also named the second-best player of the tournament. In 2011–12, the Australian T20 competition became the city-based
Big Bash League The Big Bash League (known as the KFC Big Bash League for sponsorship reasons, often abbreviated to BBL or Big Bash) is an Australian professional club Twenty20 cricket league, which was established in 2011 by Cricket Australia. The Big Bash Le ...
featuring eight teams. Smith joined the Sydney Sixers and filled in as captain when Brad Haddin could not play due to Test duties, subsequently leading the team to victory in the inaugural season. As an all-rounder, he scored 166 runs with the bat from nine matches with a strike rate of 130.71, including one half century. With the ball, he took 6 wickets at an economy rate of 8.06 per over. He also took nine catches throughout the tournament. In the final match, the Sixers beat Perth Scorchers by 7 wickets while chasing down the target of 157 within 18.5 overs after the Scorchers made 5/156 in 20 overs. Smith's good form during the Big Bash League, attracted the attention of former India Captain
Sourav Ganguly Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), affectionately known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali), is an Indian cricket administrator, commentator and former national cricket team captain w ...
, and was recruited to play for the
Pune Warriors India Pune Warriors India were a franchise Twenty20 cricket team that represented the city of Pune in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team was one of two IPL franchises from the Indian state of Maharashtra, the other being Mumbai Indians. It was ...
team captained by
Sourav Ganguly Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), affectionately known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali), is an Indian cricket administrator, commentator and former national cricket team captain w ...
in the 2012
Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
. Smith had also been made captain of the team in one match, when Ganguly was rested, despite Australian captain Michael Clarke being the vice-captain. He continued to play for the same franchise in 2013, under the captaincy of
Angelo Mathews Angelo Davis Mathews, (Tamil: அஞ்செலோ மத்தியூஸ்; born 2 June 1987) is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer and a former captain in all formats. Even though he represented Sri Lanka in all three formats, Mathews cur ...
.


Indian Premier League

Smith was first bought by
Royal Challengers Bangalore Royal Challengers Bangalore (often abbreviated as RCB) are a franchise cricket team based in Bangalore, Karnataka, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It was founded in 2008 by United Spirits and named after the company's liquor ...
for the
2010 Indian Premier League The 2010 Indian Premier League season, abbreviated as IPL 3 or the 2010 IPL, was the third season of the Indian Premier League, established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007. The tournament was hosted by India and had ...
as a replacement for
Jesse Ryder Jesse Daniel Ryder (born 6 August 1984) is a former international New Zealand cricketer, who played all forms of the game. He is a middle-order batsman for Tests and is an opening batsman in ODIs. Ryder also bowls useful medium-pace. Ryder has ...
. During the 2011 IPL player auction, he was bought by Kochi Tuskers Kerala for $200,000, but he had to have an ankle operation and was not available to play for them that season. The next season, Kochi Tuskers were dropped from the IPL and Smith was put up for auction. He went unsold at the
2012 IPL Players Auction This is a list of all personnel changes for the 2012 Indian Premier League. Retirement Transfers The first transfer window was between 15 December and 20 January 2012 and included the following transfers. New additions The following player ...
, but was later bought as a replacement for
Mitchell Marsh Mitchell Ross Marsh (born 20 October 1991) is an Australian international cricketer. Marsh has represented Australia in all three forms of cricket, making his debut during the 2011–12 season. Personal life Marsh is the second son of Geoff Ma ...
by the
Pune Warriors India Pune Warriors India were a franchise Twenty20 cricket team that represented the city of Pune in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team was one of two IPL franchises from the Indian state of Maharashtra, the other being Mumbai Indians. It was ...
. In his first match for his new team, he scored 39 runs off 32 balls to lead his team to victory against the
Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians are a franchise cricket team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the Indian Premier League and is the most successful team of the tournament with 5 titles. Founded in 2008, the team is owned by India's biggest congl ...
. He received the Man of the Match award for this effort. In the auction for IPL 2014, Smith was bought by Rajasthan Royals for $600,000. Smith was given the captaincy of the Royals in the latter half of the 2015 season and led the team to significant victories, thus ensuring a berth for his team in the play-off part of the tournament. During the 2016 IPL Auction, Smith was bought by new franchise, the Rising Pune Supergiants for the same price as in the previous auction ($600,000), and struggled early for form. Smith finally broke a run of low scores against
Sunrisers Hyderabad Sunrisers Hyderabad (stylised as SunRisers Hyderabad, SRH) are a franchise cricket team based in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise is owned by Kalanithi Maran of the SUN Group and was ...
, scoring 46*. His form continued as he registered his maiden T20 century against the
Gujarat Lions Gujarat Lions was a franchise cricket team based in the city of Rajkot, that represented the Indian state Gujarat in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team played in the IPL The team, along with Rising Pune Supergiant for two season between ...
, scoring 101 off 54 balls. He then went on to score a further 45 against the
Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians are a franchise cricket team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the Indian Premier League and is the most successful team of the tournament with 5 titles. Founded in 2008, the team is owned by India's biggest congl ...
, before being ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with a wrist injury. The Supergiant management axed
MS Dhoni Mahendra Singh Dhoni (; born 7 July 1981) is an Indian former international cricketer who was captain of the Indian national cricket team in limited-overs formats from 2007 to 2017 and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014. He is also the curren ...
as captain and named Smith as captain for the 2017 season. In RPS's first game against
Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians are a franchise cricket team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the Indian Premier League and is the most successful team of the tournament with 5 titles. Founded in 2008, the team is owned by India's biggest congl ...
, Smith led his team to victory in style, scoring 84* and was rewarded with the Man of The Match award. Three consecutive losses, however, left his team in last position on the points table. A run of 8 wins in 10 matches helped Supergiant finish in the second position, and thus qualify for the playoffs, with Smith receiving praise for his captaincy from renowned cricketers and experts like
Sunil Gavaskar Sunil Manohar Gavaskar (Marathi pronunciation: uniːl ɡaːʋəskəɾ ; born 10 July 1949), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer who represented India and Bombay from 1971 to 1987. Gavaskar is acknowledged as one of the grea ...
and
Kevin Pietersen Kevin Peter Pietersen (born 27 June 1980) is a cricket commentator, conservationist, and former England international cricket player. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who played in all three formats for England bet ...
. He led his team to the final with a 20-run victory over Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1. In the final Smith's men faced Mumbai yet again. He scored 51 off 50 balls but could not lead RPS to victory. Pune lost the match by one run. Smith was RPS's highest run scorer in the tournament, scoring 472 runs at an average of 39.33, including three fifties. In February 2018, he was named as captain of Rajasthan Royals for the IPL 2018. However, following his admission of involvement in the Australian test side's ball tampering controversy in the Third Test in South Africa in March 2018, it was announced by the team that Smith has stood down from that role and
Ajinkya Rahane Ajinkya Madhukar Rahane (born 6 June 1988) is an Indian international cricketer and former captain of Indian team in all formats, who has played for Indian cricket team in all formats as a batsman. He currently captains Mumbai in Ranji trophy. R ...
took charge as the new captain for Rajasthan Royals team. On 28 March 2018, after being banned by Cricket Australia for his involvement in a ball tampering incident, Smith's player contract with the Royals was terminated by the
Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the worl ...
as Steve Smith and fellow Australian batsman David Warner were banned from playing for their respective teams for the upcoming 2018 IPL edition. In November 2018, Smith was retained by Rajasthan Royals for the
2019 Indian Premier League The 2019 season of the Indian Premier League, also known as IPL 12, was the twelfth season of the IPL, a professional Twenty20 cricket league established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007. At one point other countries ...
. After losing six out of first eight matches of the season, Smith was appointed as the captain of the Rajasthan Royals by replacing Ajinkya Rahane. In the tournament, he scored 319 runs at an average of 39.87, including three fifties. He went unsold in the 2022 IPL auctions.


Other T20 franchise cricket

In May 2018, Smith was named as one of the ten marquee players for the
first edition The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed from substantially the same setting of type, including all minor typographical variants. First edition According to the definition of ''edition'' above, a b ...
of the
Global T20 Canada The Global T20 Canada is a 20-over cricket tournament played in Canada. The first edition of the tournament took place during June and July 2018 with six teams competing. Each team featured four local Canadian cricketers in each squad, along w ...
cricket tournament. On 3 June 2018, he was selected to play for the Toronto Nationals in the players' draft for the inaugural edition of the tournament. In his first representative match since his conviction for ball-tampering, Smith scored 61 runs from 41 balls alongside
Anton Devcich Anton Paul Devcich (born 28 September 1985) is a New Zealand former international cricketer, who played in limited over internationals. A left-handed batsman who occasionally bowls left-arm orthodox spin, at the domestic level he plays for Nort ...
as the Toronto Nationals won by six wickets against the Vancouver Knights. In the tournament he scored 167 runs in six matches at an average of 33.40, including two fifties. In July 2018, Smith was named in Barbados Tridents's squad in the sixth edition of
Caribbean Premier League The Caribbean Premier League (abbreviated to CPL or CPLT20) is an annual Twenty20 cricket tournament held in the Caribbean. It was founded by Cricket West Indies in 2013 to replace the Caribbean Twenty20 as the premier Twenty20 competition in ...
. In September 2018, Smith returned to Australian club cricket by scoring 85 off 91 balls for
Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later c ...
in a one-day match against
Mosman Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governm ...
. In October 2018, he was named as one of the fourteen Platinum category players for the fourth edition of the
Pakistan Super League The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league contested during February and March of every year by six teams representing six cities of Pakistan. The league was founded on 9 September 2015 with five teams by the P ...
. In December 2018, Smith was named in
Comilla Victorians Comilla Victorians ( bn, কুমিল্লা ভিক্টোরিয়ান্স) is a Bangladeshi professional men's cricket team which competes in the Bangladesh Premier League, a Twenty20 cricket league. The team is based in Cumi ...
's squad in the sixth edition of
Bangladesh Premier League The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ প্রিমিয়ার লীগ) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league consisting of seven franchises. The BPL is one of the three professional cricket leagues in ...
. He played only two matches of the tournament before returning to Australia for elbow surgery.


2010–2011: Debut and early international career

Steve Smith made his international cricket debut in a
Twenty20 International A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are th ...
match playing as a leg spinner against
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
at
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...
in February 2010. The same month, he made his
One Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World C ...
debut against the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
also at Melbourne, playing in the fifth match of the series. In the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 competition held in the West Indies, Australia finished runners up to England. Smith took 11 wickets in seven matches at an average of 14.81 to finish as the equal-second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament. Smith made his
Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
debut at
Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England ...
in July 2010, playing both Tests against Pakistan in the 2010 Test series played in England. He was selected mainly for his bowling, and batted down the order, although his bowling was not required in the first innings. In the second innings, he took 3 wickets for 51 as Australia won by 150 runs. In the second Test he was called to bowl only ten overs and took no wickets, although he played an impressive role with the bat in the second innings. Batting with the tail, he scored 77 including nine fours and two sixes off successive balls, helping Australia to set a competitive target after having been bowled out for 88 in the first innings. Smith's fielding attracted attention during the 2009–10 season with some spectacular catches in the outfield. In the 2010–11 Australian summer, Smith played three Tests in the
2010–11 Ashes series The 2010–11 Ashes series (known as the Vodafone Ashes Series for sponsorship reasons) was the 66th series of Test cricket matches played to contest The Ashes. The series was played in Australia as part of the England cricket team's tour of the ...
, this time playing more as a batsman, taking the number six spot in the order. His performances were solid during the series, getting a number of starts and scoring two half centuries. Following the 2010–11 Ashes, Smith did not play another Test for two years, his next Test series coming against India in March 2013.


2013–15: Return and breakthrough


Tour to India and back-to-back Ashes 2013–14

Smith's return to the test team came during the 2013 tour of India. In the previous two Sheffield seasons his form had been middling, averaging 37, but he was chosen for the 17-man squad, primarily as a backup batsman, rather than an allrounder as he had been in the Test team previously. Smith was selected for the third test in Mohali, his first in over two years, when four players were dropped for "not doing their homework", in a scandal known as Homeworkgate. In his first match innings in India he scored 92 before being stumped by Dhoni from a delivery by
Pragyan Ojha Pragyan, NIT Trichy is the technical festival of the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. Since its inception in 2005, it has been held every year over a period of three and a half days during the months of January, February, or M ...
, and in the second innings he managed 5 runs. In the final Test match at Delhi, Smith made 46 and 18 runs, respectively, but Australia was unable to win the Test match as India secured a 4–0 series win. Following the defeat to India, Australia's next series was against England in the British Isles in July. Although the squad for the 2013 Ashes was finalised in April, Smith was the vice-captain of Australia's A team and was later called into the main squad after showing some promise in the Australia's A tour to the United Kingdom in June where he made 133 runs against Ireland in Belfast but also as a backup batsman due to Michael Clarke's fitness concerns. He played his first-class tour match with the main squad on 2 July 2013 in Worcester making 111 runs in both innings combined. In the first Test match at
Trent Bridge Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also ...
he made a half century in his first innings but fell cheaply in the second innings getting out lbw to
Graeme Swann Graeme Peter Swann (born 24 March 1979) is an English former cricketer who played all three formats of the game. Born in Northampton, he attended Sponne School in Towcester, Northamptonshire. He was primarily a right-arm off-spinner, and also ...
. While making little impact at Lord's, Smith produced a century at Hove against Sussex on 27 July. In the third Test being 2–0 down to England, Australia moved up north to Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester needing to win or draw to save the series. Smith made 89 and 19 runs, respectively, but the third Test match stirred controversy about the on-field umpire's decisions and DRS (Decision Review System) causing Smith to survive on two occasions and his teammate
Usman Khawaja Usman Tariq Khawaja ( ur, ; born 18 December 1986) is an Australian cricketer who represents Australia and Queensland. Khawaja made his first-class cricket debut for New South Wales in 2008 and played his first international match for Austral ...
to be dismissed. In the final Test, Smith scored his maiden Test century, which came in the first innings of the last Test of the series at
The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
, reaching the total in style by hitting a six off the bowling of Jonathan Trott. He remained unbeaten on 138. Smith became only the sixth Australian to reach his maiden Test 100 with a six. At the end of the series, the urn was retained by England after winning the series 3–0. Smith played in all five Tests, scoring 345 runs at an average of 38.33. Smith remained in the team for the first Test of 2013–14 Ashes series in Brisbane. Despite starting slowly in the first two Tests, Smith produced his first Test century on home soil in the third Test at Perth, scoring 111 from 208 balls, helping Australia display a total of 6–326 at stumps on the second day to later win the Test match and be awarded man of the match. It was during this innings at the WACA which he decided to take a "prelim movement back and across" to counter short-pitched bowling and has even exaggerated it, according to Smith, "I was probably batting on middle and leg and going to middle at that point ... I've sort of moved things a little bit across to leg stump and now I'm going just outside off stump". Smith remarked "Everything sort of just clicked into place and it felt really good so I've continued doing it". Despite his success in the first innings, he mistimed a pull shot in the second innings, the ball caught in the deep by substitute fielder Bairstow off Ben Stokes' bowling, being dismissed for 15 from 50 deliveries. In the fourth Test at the MCG he was dismissed on 19 by
Stuart Broad Stuart may refer to: Names *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile * Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory Northe ...
, but made another century with 115 runs from 154 deliveries in the first innings of the fifth and final Test at the SCG. His 128-run partnership with Brad Haddin helped Australia come back from 5–97 to 326 all out in the first innings and eventually went on to win the Test match by 281 runs. The victory in Sydney marked a 5–0 victory towards Australia after a dismal 3–0 loss during the winter period of 2013. Smith made two centuries with a total of 327 runs at an average of 36. Smith played just one ODI match during England's tour during 2013–14, in the 4th ODI at Perth where he made 19 runs.


Tour of South Africa 2014

Following a 5–0 victory against England in the Ashes, Australia were scheduled three Test matches and three T20 matches in South Africa. In the first Test at
Centurion A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 ...
, Johannesburg, Smith made his fourth century and first in South Africa, where he and Shaun Marsh made a 233 run partnership from 4–98. Smith was not required in the second innings and Australia won the Test by 281 runs. The second Test in Port Elizabeth saw a slower pitch as Smith made 49 and a duck and South Africa levelled the series 1–1. In the deciding Test match in Cape Town, Smith made 89 runs in the first innings and finished 36 not out in the second innings as Australia won the series 2–1. Steve Smith produced 269 runs at an average of 67.25, the third-best in the series and the second-best by an Australian, second to David Warner.


Tri-Series in Zimbabwe and the UAE 2014

The five-month break from cricket activity saw a surprise pick of Smith called up for the
2014 Zimbabwe Tri-Series The 2014 Zimbabwe Tri-Series was a One Day International cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two ba ...
on the August 2014. Smith prior to the tour had two ODI matches in the last two years. In his first match against Zimbabwe, he was run out by Sikandar Raza. He made scores in his thirties in his participating matches but only made 10 runs in the final against South Africa on 6 September, where South Africa went on to win the Tri-Series. The squad later travelled to the UAE to face Pakistan in a T20 Match, three ODIs and two Tests. In the first and only T20 match, Pakistan won the toss and made 96 runs in their allotment of 20 overs, setting Australia a target of 97 runs to win. Smith made three runs before being dismissed. Despite this, Australia won by six wickets. Following the T20 came the 3-match ODI series. In the first ODI at
Sharjah Cricket Stadium The Sharjah Cricket Stadium ( ar, ملعب الشارقة للكريكيت) is in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It holds the record for the most ODIs hosted in a venue with 240 ODIs up to December 2019. It was originally constructed in t ...
, Smith made his first ODI century scoring 101 runs off 118 balls to push the visitors to a 1–0 lead in the series. In the second ODI he made 12 runs and in the third and final ODI he made 77 runs off 105 balls to win the ODI match by 1 run. However, during the match, Steve Smith's catch on Fawad Alam questioned whether his catch was within the ICC laws. The incident occurred when in the 18th over of Pakistan's chase of 231 where
Xavier Doherty Xavier John Doherty (born 22 November 1982) is a former Australian international cricketer who played Australian domestic cricket with Tasmania and internationally for Australia. He is a left-handed batsman and a slow left arm orthodox bowler ...
delivered the ball and before Fawad made contact with his paddle sweep, Smith had moved from first slip towards leg slip to intercept the shot. The legality of the catch continued to be the main talking point after the ODI Series and afterwards ICC made a press statement stating that: "As long as the movement of a close catching fielder is in response to the striker's actions (the shot he/she is about to play or shaping to play), then movement is permitted before the ball reaches the striker. On the day, if umpires believe any form of significant movement is unfair (in an attempt to deceive the batsman), then the Law still applies." The win saw Australia rise back to number one in the ICC ODI Rankings and Steve Smith was made man of the series for his batting performances. Transitioning into the Test series saw Australia's continued failure against reverse swing and spin in the subcontinent. In the warm-up match against Pakistan A in Sharjah, Australia lost by 153 runs where Smith made 58 but retired out. In the first Test in Dubai, Smith made 22 runs in the first innings and 55 runs in the second innings but collectively lost the Test match by 221 runs. In the second Test, Smith made a duck and 97 runs but Australia's woes against spin continued as Australia lost by 356 runs. In the series he made 174 runs at an average of 43.5 runs.


South Africa and India in Australia 2014–15

Arriving back from the subcontinent following their 2–0 Test defeat against Pakistan. Smith played in the series against South Africa where Australia defeated South Africa 4–1 in the ODI Series. He missed the first match due to selectors picking Shane Watson over Smith but later joined the remainder of the games due to Michael Clarke's hamstring injury. In his first match in Perth he registered 10 runs but in the following games he made 73*, 104 and 67 runs. His hundred in the 4th ODI at the MCG was Smith's first on Australian soil. Smith scored 254 runs at an average of 84.66, the highest Australian total in the series and consequently receiving the man of the series award. India arrived in Australia to play the Border-Gavaskar Test match series and a tri-series ODI competition with England. The first Test was scheduled to begin on 4 December in Brisbane, but was later postponed because of the death of Phillip Hughes. The first Test was later rescheduled to the
Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby l ...
on 9 December and Brisbane would be hosting the second Test on 17 December. In the first Test match in Adelaide, the Australian players wore Hughes' Test cap number 408 on their playing shirts for the match as well as black armbands in honour of their former teammate. In the first Test match in Adelaide, Smith scored 162* from 298 balls in the first and made 52* in the second innings, defeating India by 48 runs into day five. This also marked Steve Smith's first Test century against India and at the
Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby l ...
. On 15 December, Smith was named Australia's new vice-captain and following an injury to Michael Clarke, he was appointed stand-in skipper against India with Brad Haddin as his deputy. He made his captaincy debut for Australia in the Second Test match against India at the Gabba. He continued his batting form and made 133 runs in the first innings before being run-out in the second innings with a score of 28. Smith was awarded man of the match as Australia defeated India by 4 wickets. Australia were then up 2–0 in the series. In the third Test at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern ...
, Smith made his third consecutive century in the first innings of the Test match scoring 192 runs in 433 balls. He also scored his 1,000th run in the 2014 calendar year, and became the eighth-fastest Australian to reach 2000 Test runs, beating previous Australian captains such as Michael Clarke and
Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting (born 19 December 1974) is an Australian cricket coach, commentator, and former cricketer. Ponting was captain of the Australian national team during its "golden era", between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 20 ...
. The final Test match at the
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and association f ...
saw Smith in his fourth consecutive century against India. The achievement saw Smith join
Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...
(6),
Neil Harvey Robert Neil Harvey (born 8 October 1928) is an Australian former cricketer who was a member of the Australian cricket team between 1948 and 1963, playing in 79 Test matches. He was the vice-captain of the team from 1957 until his retirement. ...
, Jack Fingleton and
Matthew Hayden Matthew Lawrence Hayden (born 29 October 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer. His career spanned fifteen years. Hayden was a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, who along with opening partners, Jus ...
(4 each) as Australian centurions in four or more consecutive Tests, a streak Smith started during the 1st Test at Adelaide. Smith also became the first Australian skipper to open their captaincy with three consecutive centuries, and the second batsman since
Jacques Kallis Jacques Henry Kallis (born 16 October 1975) is a South African cricket coach and former cricketer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time and as South Africa's greatest batsman ever, he is a right-handed batsman and righ ...
against West Indies to score a century in every match of a Test series. The Test match ended in a draw as Australia defeated India 2–0 in the series, thus returning the
Border–Gavaskar Trophy The Border–Gavaskar Trophy is a Test cricket series played between India and Australia. It is played via the International Cricket Council's future tours program, every two years. , India holds the trophy after defeating Australia in 2020-21 ...
to Australia. The conclusion of the Test series saw Smith be given the man of the series award, scoring 769 runs at an average of 128.16, the highest aggregate score in a four-test match series in Australia and also marked the highest number of runs scored against India by an Australian, surpassing
Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...
. Following the Test series, an ODI tri-series with India and England was confirmed in preparation for the upcoming Cricket World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand. In his first ODI match against England in Sydney, he was dismissed at 37 runs by Moeen Ali but continued to provide runs in the following matches leading to the final against England. En route to the tri-series final, Smith was handed his first ODI match on 20 January as the skipper after George Bailey was suspended for a slow-over rate earlier in the series. Three days later, Smith scored his first ODI century against England producing 102 runs in 95 balls; the win saw Australia qualify for the final and later defeating England to win the Carlton Mid Triangular Series in Australia 2014–15.


ODI World Cup in Australia 2015

In the World Cup, Smith played a vital role as versatile batsman as he played in numerous batting positions from number three down to as a middle-order batsman. In Australia's opening match of the World Cup, against
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, he was dismissed early on 5 but later improved as the tournament progressed. After making half centuries against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, he later steered Australia into the final after making a century against India in the semi-finals at the
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and association f ...
. In the final, Australia drew against fellow neighbours New Zealand after defeating South Africa. Australia's target to chase 183 runs after a New Zealand collapse saw Steve Smith score 58 not out alongside the skipper, Michael Clarke as Australia won by 7 wickets with 101 balls remaining. Smith was Australia's highest run scorer in the tournament, scoring 402 runs at an average of 67, including a century and four fifties. He was named in the team of the tournament for the 2015 World Cup by the ICC. He was also named in the team of the tournament by ESPNcricinfo and Cricbuzz.


Tour of the West Indies 2015

After winning the World Cup in March, Australia's winter schedule was later released with the Test team returned from their short break towards their two Test series against the West Indies in the Caribbean. Due to IPL commitments, Smith missed out on Australia's maiden warm up match against the West Indies Cricket Board President's XI on 27 May. He later joined the Test squad in the first Test match in
Windsor Park Windsor Park is a association football, football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Li ...
, and scored 25 and 5 runs, respectively. In the second Test match in Sabina Park, Smith steered Australia to a first innings score of 399, where he made 199 and became the eighth man in Test history to be dismissed on 199. Australia later won the match in positive fashion, beating the West Indies by 277 runs within four days and retained the Frank Worrell Trophy. After his man of the match effort against the West Indies in the second Test, Smith became the second-youngest player ever to reach the number 1 ICC Test batsmen ranking and just the eighth Australian to do so.


Ashes in England 2015

The 2–0 victory against the West Indies gave Australia some momentum into the long-awaited Ashes series in the British Isles. While Australia's last Ashes tour was in 2013, the emergence of England's Joe Root and Australia's Steve Smith saw an awaited clash to determine the better batsman in the upcoming series. With the Australians in good form and England drawing to New Zealand and West Indies gave Australia some confidence to the countdown to the first Test in Cardiff. Steve started positively in his first-class match with a century against Kent in Canterbury. He was rested for the second first-class match and in the first Test match in Cardiff, Smith made 33 in both innings as England took a 1–0 lead in the series. In the second Test in
Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England ...
, Smith produced 215 runs in his first innings, his highest Test score and became the first Australian to score a double-ton at Lord's since the Second World War. His double century also made Smith pass 3000 Test runs, the third-youngest Australia to reach the feat. In his second innings he made 58 runs before Australia levelled the series in a 405 run rout. In the third Test in Edgbaston, Smith made 7 and 8 runs, respectively, both dismissed by Steven Finn, but Smith's low scores saw England take a 2–1 lead into the series. In the fourth Test in
Trent Bridge Trent Bridge Cricket Ground is a cricket ground mostly used for Test, One-Day International and county cricket located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, just across the River Trent from the city of Nottingham. Trent Bridge is also ...
, Australia needed a win to draw the series. With overcast conditions and a green top, Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to field. In the first innings, Smith was dismissed again cheaply by
Stuart Broad Stuart may refer to: Names *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile * Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory Northe ...
with a score of 6, as Australia capitulated in the first session of a total 60 runs from 18.3 overs—is the quickest—in terms of balls faced—a team has been bowled out in the first innings of a Test match. In the second innings, Smith was again caught by
Ben Stokes Benjamin Andrew Stokes (born 4 June 1991) is an English international cricketer who is the captain of the England Test team and plays for the England Twenty20 International (T20I) team. In domestic cricket, he represents Durham and has playe ...
in the slips from Stuart Broad with a meagre score of 5. England within three days regained the Ashes and took an unassailable 3–1 lead and critics began to question Smith's performances in seaming conditions. Into the fifth and final Test match back at
The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
, Smith made his second century in the series registering 143 runs off 252 balls before being bowled by Finn. Australia later defeated England by an innings and 46 runs. However, England regained the Ashes 3–2 after winning in Nottingham in early August and later saw the Test retirements of Australia's senior players: Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers and later Shane Watson, Ryan Harris and Brad Haddin. Overall, Smith made 508 runs at an average of 56.44, the most runs scored in the series.


2015–2018: Australian captaincy

The retirement of Michael Clarke following Australia's 3–2 defeat in the 2015 Ashes series saw Smith appointed as the full-time captain of the Australian Test team. Fellow New South Welshman David Warner was appointed as his vice-captain.


New Zealand, West Indies and ascension to captaincy 2015–16

Next followed a three Test home series against New Zealand. Smith's output in the first Test in Brisbane was modest, scoring 48 and 1, as the team romped home for a win in a high scoring game. During the second Test, Smith scored 27 in the first innings before breaking the shackles with 138 in the second innings. This was Smith's first-ever second innings century; all previous centuries having been scored in the first innings of a Test match. Australia went on to draw the second Test. In the third Test, significant for being the first-ever day-night Test held at the Adelaide Oval, Smith defied difficult batting conditions to register 53 in the first innings, before falling for 14 in the second innings. Australia won the match in a tight contest. Shortly after the series against New Zealand, a three Test series was to be held against the West Indies. During the first innings of the first Test, Smith was caught behind on 10, and did not bat again, due to Australia's dominance. The second Test was successful for the captain, scoring 134* and 70* in each respective innings, as Australia went on to seal a series victory. Due to poor weather conditions, the third Test was a wash out, with very little play able to be held. In 2015 Smith was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) and
ICC Test Player of the Year The ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year is an annual award, presented since 2004 by the International Cricket Council to the best Test cricketer over the year in question. It is one of the annual ICC Awards. Selection The recipient of the annual ...
award and named in ICC Test Team of the Year and ICC ODI Team of the Year by the ICC. In the same year, he also received the Allan Border Medal, Australian Test Player of the Year and Australian One Day International Player of the Year award. He was also named in the Test XI of the year 2015 by ESPNcricinfo.


Tour of New Zealand and T20 World Cup 2016

A two Test return tour against New Zealand took place in February 2016. Smith looked to be in fine touch, registering 71, 138, and 53* in the three innings in which he batted, as the Australian team won 2–0. During the T20 World Cup 2016, held in India, Smith struggled with form early, before registering 61 against Pakistan in a must-win pool match for Australia. Smith went on to score only 2 against India, as Australia were knocked out of the tournament. It was believed that Smith was incorrectly given out, having clean missed a ball the umpires deemed to have been edged.


Tour of Sri Lanka 2016

Smith then led the Australian Cricket Team on their tour of Sri Lanka. The three Test series was a disaster for the Aussies, losing 3–0. Smith was Australia's highest run scorer in the series, scoring 247 runs at an average of 41, including one century and one fifty. Throughout the following ODI series, Smith averaged in excess of 40 across the first two matches, before leaving early for a rest.


ODI Tour of South Africa 2016

Australia's disappointing run of form continued into their ODI tour of South Africa. They lost the first 3 matches, largely attesting to their young bowling attack's inability to contain a strong South African batting line-up. Smith was disappointing in output across the first two ODIs, before scoring 108 off 107 balls in the 3rd match, as he and David Warner helped Australia to 371. Despite the large total, it was chased down by South Africa in the 50th over. Australia lost the 5-match series 5–0.


South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan in Australia 2016–17

Following the 5–0 ODI defeat in South Africa, the Australian team returned home for a 3 Test series against South Africa. In the first Test Smith made a duck and 34 runs, and Australia lost the Test match. In the second Test at Hobart, Smith made 48 not out in the first innings but the team capitulated, only making a total score of 85 runs and ending up losing the Test. Following the defeat, criticism of Smith's captaincy and the team's performance emerged which saw the influx of young players such as
Matt Renshaw Matthew Thomas Renshaw (born 28 March 1996) is an Australian international cricketer. He played eleven Tests for Australia between 2016 and 2018 as an opening batsman, and was recalled to the Test team in 2023. In domestic first-class cricket ...
, Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddison for the last Test. After losing five consecutive Tests, Smith made 59 and 40, respectively, with the addition of his team performances to win the day-night Test match in Adelaide. The win in Adelaide avoided a 3–0 whitewash at home, as the 2–1 defeat marked Smith's first series defeat at home. After the Test series against South Africa, New Zealand played 3 ODIs in between the two Test series against South Africa and Pakistan. In the first ODI, Steve Smith registered 164 runs at the SCG, marking the highest ODI score at the ground, beating the previous score of 162 set by AB De Villiers during the 2015 World Cup. He was awarded "man of the match". In the second ODI he made 72 runs and in Melbourne of the final ODI he was dismissed for a duck. The Australian team won the contested Chappell-Hadlee Trophy 3–0 and returned the trophy to Australia. Pakistan was scheduled to have three Test series and 5 ODIs. In the first Test in Brisbane, Smith made 130 and 63 runs. His century in Brisbane marked his 16th Test century and his first against Pakistan. Despite Pakistan being bowled out for a low score of 142 in the first innings, Smith's captaincy tactics sparked a mixed response from critics when the on-field umpires made the decision to increase the fourth day evening session for another thirty minutes, believing a result would be determined. Pakistan made a 4th innings total of 450, as Australia won by 39 runs. The second Test match was held at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern ...
and Smith later placed his seventeenth century, the fourth-fastest to do so and also reaching 1000 runs in the calendar year—his third consecutive achievement of this since 2014. Despite intermittent rain, Australia managed an unlikely victory into the last session of day five, resulting in a 2–0 win for Australia. The final Test at the
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and association f ...
marked Steve Smith's 50th Test match, as Australia whitewashed Pakistan 3–0 . Following the victory, he was awarded "Man of the Series" after making a total of 441 runs—the most in the series from both sides. Smith was once again featured in ICC's 2016 Cricket Awards as a 12th man for the ICC Test team of the year. In the ODI Series against Pakistan, Smith experienced mixed results but played a vital role, with Australia later ending up routing Pakistan 4–1. On 19 January 2017, Steve Smith produced his 8th ODI century against Pakistan at the
WACA Ground The WACA (formally the WACA Ground) is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association. The WACA has been referred to as Wester ...
—becoming the quickest Australian to reach 3000 ODI runs within 79 innings. Following the home series, Smith was scheduled to tour three ODI matches against New Zealand for the
Chappell–Hadlee Trophy The Chappell–Hadlee Trophy in cricket is a One Day International cricket series between Australia and New Zealand. It is named after legendary cricketing families from the two countries: the Chappell brothers (Ian, Gregory, and Trevor) of ...
but later sustained a mild sprain to the medial ligament in his left ankle, so he headed to Dubai in preparation for the upcoming four Test tour of India.


Tour of India 2017

Following the training at ICC's Cricket Academy Centre in Dubai, Smith began the tour of India with a century in their maiden warm-up match in Mumbai. He replicated his ton in the first Test in Pune where he produced his first century in the Indian Subcontinent, accompanied by the support of his bowlers to win their first Test match in India since 2004 and breaking India's 19 match undefeated streak, stretching back from 2012. Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle and other Indian Media rated Smith's third innings hundred at Pune as one of the best ever by a visiting player in India. The
Wisden ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
described Smith's ton as an impossible hundred on a ''minefield'' of a pitch at Pune where all other batsman from both sides struggled to get a decent score. In the 3rd Test match in Ranchi, which is the first-ever Test match hosted at this venue, Steve Smith scored yet another century, 178 not out. This is the third-highest score by an Australian cricketer in Test matches played in India and the highest by an Australian Captain. In the fourth Test in Dharmasala, Smith scored 111 in the first innings which helped Australia to a first innings score of 300. In the second innings, Smith played a ball onto his stumps after scoring a rapid and threatening 17 runs off 15 balls. Smith was the highest run scorer in the series, scoring 499 runs at an average of 71.29, including three centuries.


Ashes in Australia 2017–18

In the first Test at Brisbane, Smith scored the first century of the series, 141 *, which was his 21st Test century in his 105th innings—making him the third-quickest to score 21 Test centuries behind
Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...
and
Sunil Gavaskar Sunil Manohar Gavaskar (Marathi pronunciation: uniːl ɡaːʋəskəɾ ; born 10 July 1949), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer who represented India and Bombay from 1971 to 1987. Gavaskar is acknowledged as one of the grea ...
. On 16 December 2017, Smith scored 239 in the final Ashes match at the WACA Ground. He was quick to score his 22nd century at the WACA, his century coming from 138 balls, including sixteen fours and a six, before he converted that into a career-best 239. It was his second double-hundred and his first as captain. In the fourth Ashes test at Melbourne, Smith continued his prodigious form when he scored 76 in the first innings before he was bowled by England debutant Tom Curran, providing him with his first wicket in test cricket. A series best 244* by England's
Alastair Cook Sir Alastair Nathan Cook (born 25 December 1984) is an English cricketer who plays for Essex County Cricket Club, and played for England in all international formats from 2006 to 2018. A former captain of the England Test and One-Day Intern ...
then placed Australia in a tense situation that saw them trail by 164 at the start of the fourth day. Coming in at 2/65 before lunch on a rain affected day four, Smith batted until the closure of play on day five and scored yet another century, finishing with a defiant 102* from 275 deliveries to guide Australia to a draw and denying England of its first victory in Australia since 2011. Smith concluded the 2017 calendar year with six centuries and three fifties, along with an average of 76.76 and a total of 1,305 runs, the highest of any player that year. During the final Ashes match in Sydney, Smith reached the milestone of 6,000 Test runs in 111 innings, becoming the equal second-fastest player and also the youngest Australian, ever to do so. Smith garnered praise from opponent captain Joe Root for leading the team from the front, and in Root's opinion Smith was the difference between the two teams during 2017–18 Ashes series. Smith was the highest run scorer in the series, scoring 687 runs at an average of 137.40, including three centuries and two fifties. In 2017 Smith was awarded the
ICC Test Player of the Year The ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year is an annual award, presented since 2004 by the International Cricket Council to the best Test cricketer over the year in question. It is one of the annual ICC Awards. Selection The recipient of the annual ...
award and named in the ICC Test Team of the Year by the ICC. In February 2018 he received the Allan Border Medal and Australian Test Player of the Year award.


2018: Tour of South Africa, ball-tampering incident and suspension


Tour of South Africa 2018

Smith was rested for the T20 series against New Zealand and England so he could prepare for the South African Test series. The series was marred by controversial incidents on and off field. Australia won the first Test by 118 runs with Smith making scores of 56 and 38 runs. The result was overshadowed by a stairwell confrontation between Australian vice captain David Warner and South African wicket-keeper
Quinton de Kock Quinton de Kock (born 17 December 1992) is a South African cricketer and former captain of the Proteas in all three formats. He currently plays for South Africa in limited overs cricket, Titans at the domestic level, and Lucknow Super Gian ...
. Footage emerged showing Warner having to be physically restrained after words were spoken between the two. This led to Smith and opposing captain
Faf du Plessis Francois "Faf" du Plessis ( ; born 13 July 1984) is a South African professional cricketer and former captain of the South Africa national cricket team. He is considered one of the greatest fielders of all time and is among the best all-forma ...
being called to a meeting with umpires and match officials, where they were reminded of their responsibility to control their teams. South Africa won the second Test by 6 wickets, with Smith's contributions being only 25 and 11 runs. Smith's diminishing returns with the bat and lower than average strike rate suggested that he may have been struggling somewhat. During the match South African fast bowler and player of the match Kagiso Rabada was suspended for the following Test after he made physical contact with Smith after he dismissed him. Rabada successfully appealed the ban; a decision that annoyed Smith.


Ball-tampering incident and suspension

Australia lost by 322 runs in the third Test, with Smith barely contributing to the score. However, the match result was overshadowed by illegal
ball tampering In the sport of cricket, ball tampering is an action in which a fielder illegally alters the condition of the ball. The primary motivation of ball tampering is to interfere with the aerodynamics of the ball to aid swing bowling. Definition Unde ...
that occurred on the third day. Cameron Bancroft, the second-youngest and most inexperienced member of the team, was captured by television cameras surreptitiously using sandpaper to rough up the cricket ball. He then hid the sandpaper in his underwear before being confronted by the on-field umpires. When attending the press conference at the conclusion of the third day's play with Bancroft, Smith admitted that the "leadership group" of the team discussed tampering with the ball to influence the result of the match during the lunch break. He admitted that he was part of the "leadership group" but did not identify the other members. Smith and vice-captain David Warner stood down from the team leadership the morning after the incident, but still played on, and wicketkeeper Tim Paine took over as interim captain for the rest of the Test match. Subsequently, match referee Andy Pycroft for the ICC banned Smith for one Test match and fined him 100% of his match fee. He handed Bancroft three demerit points and fined him 75% of his match fee. Cricket Australia launched an independent investigation, charging Smith with bringing the game into disrepute. He was suspended and sent home from the tour. The report stated that, while he did not develop the plan, Smith was found to have misled match officials and others, and as captain did not act to prevent it. He was therefore banned from all international and domestic cricket for 12 months starting from 29 March 2018. He was also debarred from consideration for any team leadership role for an additional 12 months. Warner and Bancroft also received bans. Smith also had his contract with the Rajasthan Royals IPL team for the 2018 season terminated by the
Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the worl ...
as a consequence of the sanctions. Smith arrived in Sydney on 29 March. In a press conference at Sydney Airport, a tearful Smith started by saying that he had nothing to add to Cricket Australia's report. He said that as captain of the Australian cricket team, he took full responsibility (even though he did not devise the plan to change the condition of the ball or actually perform the act), and that he had made a serious error in judgement: "''It was a failure of leadership, my leadership''." As well as apologising to his "''teammates, to fans of cricket all over the world and to all Australians who are disappointed and angry''", he specifically referred to the effect that the incident had had on his parents and implored others faced with questionable decisions to consider their parents. He added, "''I know I will regret this for the rest of my life. I'm absolutely gutted. I hope in time I can earn back respect and forgiveness''."


2019: Return to international cricket


ODI World Cup in England 2019

In April 2019, he was named in Australia's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. After missing the 2018–19 season, Smith was awarded a national contract by Cricket Australia for the 2019–20 season. On 1 June 2019, Smith played in Australia's opening match of the Cricket World Cup, against
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
, at the County Ground in
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
. On 11 July 2019, in the semi-final match against
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
Smith scored 85 runs, becoming the second batsman after
Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
to score four 50+ scores in Cricket World Cup knockouts. In the tournament, he scored 379 runs at an average of 37.90, including four fifties.


Ashes in England 2019

In July 2019, he was named in Australia's squad for the 2019 Ashes series in England. In the first Test at Edgbaston, Smith scored centuries in both innings, his ninth and tenth Ashes centuries and his 24th and 25th overall. Smith's first innings hundred was hailed as one of his finest ever by
British Media There are several different types of mass media in the United Kingdom: television, radio, newspapers, magazines and websites. The United Kingdom is known for its large music industry, along with its new and upcoming artists. The country also has a ...
as he was returning from a year-long suspension and was batting with the tail for a large part of his innings under tricky conditions. His 25th came in his 119th innings, second only to
Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...
(who took 69 innings). Smith also rated his first innings hundred at
Edgbaston Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre. In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family ...
as his best ever. In the first innings of the second Test, his innings was interrupted on 80, when he was hit by a 148.7 km/h ball on the left side of his neck, under the ear from Jofra Archer. He later returned to complete his innings after passing the concussion tests and was out, lbw, for 92. On 18 August 2019, the final day of the Test, Smith was replaced by
Marnus Labuschagne Marnus Labuschagne ( or ; born 22 June 1994) is a South African born, Australian international cricketer who plays for the Australian cricket team in Tests and ODIs as a batter. He plays domestically for Queensland in Australian domestic ...
, after further tests showed he had actually suffered concussion due to the blow the previous day. Therefore, Labuschagne became the first player to become a concussion substitute in a Test match following a change in the
International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the '' ...
's (ICC) rules. The concussion then ruled him out of the third Test, though this did not stop him reclaiming the number one position in the Test batting rankings on 3 September 2019. In the first innings of the fourth Test at
Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wembl ...
Smith scored his third double-century in Test matches and third century in the series and became the first batsman to score 500 or more runs in three successive Ashes series. Smith registered his tenth consecutive Ashes fifty-plus score in the first innings of the fifth Test, breaking
Inzamam Ul Haq Inzamam-ul-Haq SI ( ur, ; born 3 March 1970), also known as Inzi, is a former Pakistan cricketer and captain of Pakistan national cricket team. He was also professional cricket coach for Pakistan. He was the leading run scorer for Pakistan i ...
's record for the most consecutive Test 50+ scores against a single opposition. He finished the series with 774 runs at an average of 110.57, by far the most on either side. Smith made 3 hundreds and 3 fifties. He was awarded his second consecutive
Compton–Miller Medal The Compton–Miller Medal is an award for the man of the series in an individual Ashes series of cricket matches between Australia and England. The award was inaugurated in 2005 and is named after two great cricketers: the batsman Denis Comp ...
as the man of the series.
British Media There are several different types of mass media in the United Kingdom: television, radio, newspapers, magazines and websites. The United Kingdom is known for its large music industry, along with its new and upcoming artists. The country also has a ...
along with former cricketers rated his dominating batting in the series as one of the greatest batting displays in a test series.


2019–2021: Form slump


Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand in Australia 2019–20

After retaining the Ashes in England, the Australian team returned home for two back to back T20I series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. In the first T20I against Sri Lanka, Smith did not bat, but made 53 not out and 13 in the second and third matches respectively. Australia went on to win the three match series 3–0. Although Smith was not required to bat in the first and third T20Is against Pakistan, his valuable contribution of 80 not out in the second match helped Australia win the match by seven wickets, and go on to win the T20I series 2–0. Following the T20I series', Australia played Pakistan and New Zealand at home in two and three match Test series respectively. In contrast to the preceding Ashes tour, Smith made little contribution with the bat throughout the test series against Pakistan, scoring 4 and 36 in the first and second matches respectively. Despite this, Australia went on to win the Test series 2–0, winning both matches by an innings margin. During the second test match of the series at
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, Smith overtook
Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...
as the 11th highest run scorer for Australia in tests. Smith also became the fastest test batsman to score 7,000 test runs in his 126th innings, bettering the 73-year-old record of
Walter Hammond Walter Reginald Hammond (19 June 1903 – 1 July 1965) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in a career that lasted from 1920 to 1951. Beginning as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed cap ...
(130 innings). In the first day-night Test match at Perth against New Zealand, Smith struggled, scoring 43 and 16, and was dismissed both innings to the short-pitched bowling of fast-bowler Neil Wagner. Australia went on to win the first Test by 296 runs. In the second test at Melbourne, Smith continued to find form when he scored 85 in the first innings before he was again dismissed by Neil Wagner, denying Smith of a record fifth consecutive Test century at the MCG. Although Australia bowled New Zealand out for 148 and progressively built on their large first innings lead, Smith was dismissed for 7 in the second innings, giving Neil Wagner his 200th Test wicket and fourth consecutive dismissal of Smith in the series. Despite this, Australia comfortably won the match by 247 runs and retained the Trans-Tasman Trophy. On Day 1 of the Melbourne test, Smith also went past
Greg Chappell Gregory Stephen Chappell (born 7 August 1948) is a former cricketer who represented Australia at international level in both Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODI). The second of three brothers to play Test cricket, Chappell was the pre-eminen ...
's tally of 7,110 moving into 10th position as highest run-scorer for Australia in Tests. The 3rd Test saw Smith reach the half-century mark again, reaching 63 from 182 balls, taking 45 minutes to get off the mark. Australia won the match by 279 runs, completing a clean sweep of the Test series. In a similar vein to
Bodyline Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia. It was designed to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's leading batsman ...
devised by England in the 1930s to disrupt
Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...
's scoring, which was largely employed by Harold Larwood, New Zealand devised a set of tactics to curb Smith's scoring. It involved left-arm fast-medium bowler
Neil Wagner Neil Wagner (born 13 March 1986) is a South African-born New Zealand Test cricketer who plays for New Zealand and Northern Districts cricket teams. He played for Northerns until 2007/08 and Otago between 2008 and 2018. Early career Wagner wa ...
pitching short to Smith attempting to get him out caught on the leg side. The plan enjoyed good results, with Wagner dismissing Smith all four times in Perth and Melbourne, however
Colin de Grandhomme Colin de Grandhomme (born 22 July 1986) is a former Zimbabwean-born New Zealand international cricketer. Early, domestic and T20 career Born in Harare, de Grandhomme, who attended St. George's College, Harare, began his career by playing for ...
claimed Smith's wicket in the Test at Sydney. Smith himself said after the first Test, "The pink one's a little bit different - it just sort of comes off the wicket at different paces ... I couldn't quite time the ball where I wanted to at certain times but no doubt I'm going to get a little bit (of short-pitch bowling) in Melbourne, I dare say, on probably a different wicket. We'll see how we go." Despite Smith scoring 214 runs from 5 innings at an average of 42.80, and atypically for Smith a low strike rate of 34.13—who just three months earlier in the 2019 Ashes scored at a rate of 64.71 per 100 balls—Australia managed to win all three Tests by a margin of over 200 runs, largely thanks to Labuschagne's batting.


Tours of India and South Africa 2019–20

Australia travelled to India to play three ODI matches between 14 and 19 January 2020. Smith was not required in the first match. In the second match, Smith came in at 1/20 and looked set to reach another hundred, but was dismissed for 98 as he played on to his stumps off Kuldeep Yadav. In the 3rd match, Smith made 131 off 132 balls as Australia reached a total of 286 from the 50 overs. However, Smith's hundred was in vain as India chased down the target in the 48th over, India winning the series 2–1. Australia travelled to South Africa to play a 3 ODI matches and 3 T20I matches between 21 February and 7 March 2020. The first match of the T20I series in Johannesburg saw Smith topscore with 45, helping Australia to a total of 196 winning by 107 runs. Australia was sent in to bat in the 3rd match at Cape Town, making 193 runs from their 20 overs, Smith remaining not out on 30 from 15 balls. South Africa was bowled out for 96, Australia winning by 97 runs, and winning the T20I series 2–1. Smith topscored in the first ODI match with 76, but the rest of the team could only manage 134 between them, getting bowled out in the 46th over for 217. Smith failed to make any significant scores for the remaining games as Australia lost the ODI series 0–3.


New Zealand in Australia 2020

New Zealand returned to Australia after the Test series, with games scheduled to be held on 13, 15 and 20 March 2020. The first match was won by Australia, with a winning margin of 71 runs; Smith getting bowled for 14 by Santner. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2nd and 3rd matches were cancelled without a ball being bowled due to travel restrictions.


Tour of England 2020

On 16 July 2020, Smith was named in a 26-man preliminary squad of players to begin training ahead of a possible tour to England following the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. On 14 August 2020,
Cricket Australia Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Crick ...
confirmed that the fixtures would be taking place, with Smith included in the touring party. Smith's scoring was unremarkable in the 3 T20I matches. Between the last T20I match and first ODI match, Smith was struck on the head at training, and subsequently missed the first two ODIs. Smith was still feeling the effects before the 3rd ODI, and was left out again, missing all three matches in the series.


India in Australia 2020–21

India's tour began with a 3-match ODI series. In the first match in Sydney, Smith came to the wicket after a large opening partnership, and put on a 108-run partnership with Aaron Finch. Smith brought up his hundred off 62 deliveries, the third fastest by an Australian and finished with 105 runs off 66 balls. Smith made a second century in the second match at Sydney, again requiring only 62 deliveries. He was dismissed on 104 from 64 deliveries. Smith and Labuschagne put on a 136-run partnership. Australia won the match by 51 runs, and Smith was again awarded Player of the Match for his performance. Australia won the series 2–1. Smith was awarded Player of the Series for his efforts. Following the ODI series was a 3-match T20I series. Smith made a respectable 46 in the second match, but his scores in the other matches were unremarkable. Australia lost the series 1–2. In November 2020, Smith was nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade, and the award for Test cricketer of the decade. Smith's poor form for his standards continued as he scored 1 and 1* in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy in Adelaide, Australia winning the match after bowling India out for 36, their lowest total in Tests. Smith scored 0 and 8 at Melbourne as India won by 8 wickets in contrast to his previous seven Tests at the ground where he had averaged 113.50. Since the 2019 Ashes, Smith had averaged 26.40. Ex-Australian captain Ian Chappell noted "He doesn't look as comfortable at the crease because India have given him things to think about" and "In trying to avoid one way of getting out, you can create another one, and I think that's happened a bit with Smith." Smith was able to break his 14-innings century drought since the 2019 Ashes at his home ground in Sydney with a 226-ball 131 in the first innings. He followed that up with a 167-ball 81 in the third innings, helping to set India a target of 407 in the fourth innings. The match ended in a draw as the series was poised 1 all. In the fourth and final match of the series at the Gabba, Smith made 36 in the first innings and topscored for Australia with 55 in the third innings. Australia set India a target of 328 to win. India took the game into the 5th day as they chased the target with three wickets remaining as Australia lost the series 1–2.


T20 World Cup in the UAE 2021

Smith was ruled out of the tours to West Indies and Bangladesh with an elbow injury in his left arm — a recurrence of an injury that prohibited him from playing domestic cricket for a month during February and March in 2021. National selection panel chair Trevor Hohns said of the injury - "I can't tell you how long or how serious it is but it's something that he's had before, and it definitely flared up again whilst playing in the IPL ... How long it'll take to get it completely right, I can't tell you that at the moment … the main thing from our point of view with Steven is to make sure he is fit for the T20 World Cup and of course the Ashes next season." In August 2021, Smith was named in Australia's squad for the
2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup The 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was the seventh ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament, with the matches played in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from 17 October to 14 November 2021. The West Indies were the defending champions, but were eventu ...
. Smith played a "floating position" in Australia's win in the T20 World Cup. He scored 69 runs at a strike rate of 97.18.


2021–present: Australian vice captaincy


Ashes in Australia 2021–22

In November 2021, following Tim Paine's resignation from the Test captaincy amid allegations of improper conduct in 2017,
Pat Cummins Patrick James Cummins (born 8 May 1993) is an Australian international cricketer who captains the Australian cricket team in Test and ODI cricket. He is a fast bowler and right-handed batsman. He plays domestically for New South Wales. Cum ...
was promoted to captain of the Test side, as Smith returned to a leadership position with the vice captaincy. In the first Test in Brisbane, Smith fell to 'a lazy shot' to Mark Wood for 12. Smith captained Australia for the second Test in Adelaide, when Cummins was ruled out for the match after he was deemed to be a close contact of someone with
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...
. Smith passed 50 in the first innings, but was trapped leg before wicket on 93 to James Anderson to a ball that kept low. In the second innings, Smith survived multiple chances (including a first-ball drop by Buttler) but was out on 6, gloved down the leg side to Robinson. Smith had also picked up his first test wicket in 6 years, dismissing Jack Leach, who was caught by David Warner. After the Test, Smith said "It brought back some old memories in a way and I had fun out there, but it's Patty's team. I'm the vice-captain and I will help him any way I can. That's my job. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going into what should be an amazing Boxing Day Test."


Tour of Pakistan 2022

Australia toured Pakistan in 2022 to play three tests, three ODIs and a one off T20I. Smith played during the three tests, but did not play in the ODIs and T20Is. This tour was the Australia's first tour of Pakistan since 1998. Smith performed well against Pakistan, averaging 56.50 in 4 innings and achieving a top score of 78, but did not manage to fully take advantage of the "dead" and "benign" pitch at the
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is a cricket stadium located in DKS Rawalpindi in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is near to Pir Meher Ali Shah University, Rawalpindi, and Rawalpindi Arts Council, Rawalpindi. The first international match at ...
during the first test, unlike his Pakistani contemporaries. During the series, Smith had also become the fastest man to reach 8,000 test runs, achieving it in 151 innings, one less than the previous title holder,
Kumar Sangakkara Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and ...
and three innings faster than
Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...
. Smith was also the first person to achieve this feat with a batting average over 60, reaching 8,000 test runs with a 60.1 average at the time.


Tour of Sri Lanka 2022

In 2022, Australia toured Sri Lanka for 3 T20Is, 5 ODIs and 2 tests. Smith did not play during the first T20I, but played in the second and third, where he scored 5 runs in the second match and 37 runs off of 27 balls and remained not out in the third match. Smith finished the T20I series with a 42.0 batting average, with a high score of 37. Smith played during the first two ODI matches, but was unable to play during the last three due to a quad injury. He scored 53 runs off 60 balls during the first match and scored 28 runs off of 35 balls during the second match. He finished the ODI series with an average of 40.50, a high score of 53 and scored 81 runs in 2 innings. Smith played during both of the tests, and scored 6 runs off of 11 balls before being run out by
Niroshan Dickwella Dickwella Patabendige Dilantha Niroshan Dickwella, known as Niroshan Dickwella (born 23 June 1993), is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer, who plays all formats of the game for Sri Lanka. A left-hand batsman, he also plays as a wicket-keeper of ...
. This mix up had caused Smith to lose his temper against his batting partner at the time,
Usman Khawaja Usman Tariq Khawaja ( ur, ; born 18 December 1986) is an Australian cricketer who represents Australia and Queensland. Khawaja made his first-class cricket debut for New South Wales in 2008 and played his first international match for Austral ...
, where he was visibly irritated. However, Smith states that there is no lingering fallout between the two of them. Smith did not bat during the second innings, as Australia bowled Sri Lanka out for 212 and 113, and had a target of 5 runs, winning the match by 10 wickets. During the second test, Smith scored 145 runs off of 272 balls and remained not out. This was his first century since January 2021; a time span of 547 days, as well as being his 28th Test century. During the second innings however, Smith was dismissed for 0 and Australia collapsed, as Sri Lanka beat Australia by an innings and 39 runs. During the second innings, Smith had reviewed the original "out" decision by the umpire, only to confirm the umpire's decision. This review was called "comical" and "appalling" by multiple news sources. Smith finished the test series with 151 runs from 3 innings, an average of 75.50 and with a high score of 145*. He was the second highest run scorer during the series, behind Sri Lankan batsman,
Dinesh Chandimal Lokuge Dinesh Chandimal ( si, ලොකුගේ දිනේෂ් චන්දිමාල්; born 18 November 1989) is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer who captained the Sri Lanka national cricket team. A handy and agile right-handed bat ...
.


T20 World Cup in Australia 2022


England and the West Indies in Australia 2022–23

In October 2022, Smith was named in the Australian
ODI ODI may refer to: * Object Design, Incorporated, a defunct database software company * One Day International, cricket match * Open Data Institute, a UK not-for-profit company promoting open data * Open Data-Link Interface, an implementation of ...
squad for the three-match home ODI series. He scored 195 runs including two half centuries in 3 matches at an average of 97.50 as Australia won the series in a 3–0 whitewash. In November 2022, He was named in the Australia Test squad for the series against the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
. In the first Test in Perth, Smith scored 200 not out from 311 deliveries, his fourth double-century in his Test career. Smith said after his innings: "I think from the first one-dayer against England, where I sort of implemented the work that I've been doing, it felt really good straightaway." He went on to say "I suppose the reason for my slight change in technique is because I was unhappy with where I was at with my batting ... But I think now with the way I'm able to play and the way teams have bowled against me, I've had to adapt a bit and where I'm at with my body and my hands I feel like I'm opening up the whole ground as opposed to probably just behind square on the leg side, and I'm able to hit the ball in different areas, which I probably was able to hit previously. So I feel in a good place."


Playing style

Smith is a right-handed batsman with a technique that has attracted attention for its unorthodoxy. He moves around frequently in the crease, especially during bowlers' run-up, and ends up with the toes of his feet outside off stump against right-handers, controls the bat with his bottom hand (that is, the hand closest to the blade of the bat), and is capable of playing unconventional cricket shots like the reverse sweep. Playing in a club match in January 2010, right-handed Smith took guard left-handed and hit a six. Due to his unorthodox style, Smith was initially labelled as a limited-overs batsman who might struggle in the longer form of the game, especially early in his career when he was vulnerable outside off stump. However, Smith compensates for his unique technique with outstanding hand-eye co-ordination, focus, and his footwork, especially to spin bowlers, is exemplary. Smith spontaneously experimented with his technique during the Perth Test match in the 2013–14 Ashes, during which he decided to take a "prelim movement back and across" to counter short-pitched bowling. This change took his batting average from 33 in 2013 to 64.95 in 2019. As of 2021, it is 61.80. At the time of delivery, Smith's stumps are fully covered, making bowled dismissals unlikely. This position also allows him to play to either the on or off side with ease. Much of the credit for Smith's success can also be attributed to batting coach Trent Woodhill, who coached Smith as a junior and noted his abundant talent. He has also defended Smith's unique batting style, and has long argued that in Australia, many naturally talented cricketers who may not necessarily have an orthodox technique are let down by over-coaching; in the years between leaving school and his elevation into international cricket, Smith had his technique picked apart by a number of well-intentioned coaches. Since re-establishing his working relationship with Woodhill, Smith appears to have regained calm and confidence in his cricket, which has since produced results over the last few seasons. Smith is also known for his concentration, being able to bat for long periods of time, even through a whole day's play. As a bowler, however, after his quick rise up the batting order (until he became captain, and settled in at 4), the comparisons to
Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, whose career ran from 1991 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-handed batsman for Victoria, Hampshire and Australi ...
never gathered momentum. He was an able option as a leg spinner early in his career, but was under-used because he was described as a very defensive bowler. When he was captain for Australia, he had been initially tagged as the second "Captain Grumpy" since
Allan Border Allan Robert Border (born 27 July 1955) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test ma ...
early in his captaincy reign, having to warn Mitchell Starc for unsportsmanlike behaviour, and being highly critical of the team's bowling and fielding despite beating New Zealand by over 200 runs in 2015. Later, in 2017–2018, he publicly criticised
Glenn Maxwell Glenn James Maxwell (born 14 October 1988) is an Australian professional cricketer, who represents Australia national cricket team in One Day International and Twenty20 International formats of the game and has played Test cricket for Austral ...
's training regimen when Maxwell was dropped from the Australian ODI squad. He was also criticised for having too much influence over team selections. Smith is consistently rated as one of the top-ranked
Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
batsmen in the world, according to the
ICC Player Rankings The International Cricket Council Player Rankings is a widely followed system of rankings for international cricketers based on their recent performances. The current sponsor is MRF Tyres who signed a 4-year deal with the ICC that will last u ...
.


Career best performances

, Smith has made a total of 45 first-class centuries, 13 List A centuries and one T20 century. Of these, 29 of his first-class centuries were scored in Test matches and 12 of his List A centuries scored in One Day Internationals. His best bowling figures of seven wickets for the cost of 64 runs (7/64) were taken for New South Wales against South Australia in the
Sheffield Shield The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Sheffield Sh ...
. * Smith's highest score in Test and first-class cricket is 239 scored against
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
at the
WACA Ground The WACA (formally the WACA Ground) is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association. The WACA has been referred to as Wester ...
,
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
in 2017. * His highest score in ODI and List A cricket is 164 scored against
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
at the
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and association f ...
in 2016. * His highest score in Twenty20 International matches is 90 runs, scored against England at Sophia Gardens,
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
in 2015. * His only T20 century, a score of 101, was made for
Rising Pune Supergiants Rising Pune Supergiant (often abbreviated as RPS) was a franchise cricket team based in Pune, Maharashtra, that played in the Indian Premier League in 2016 and as a finalist in 2017. It was the second team representing Pune after Pune Warrio ...
against
Gujarat Lions Gujarat Lions was a franchise cricket team based in the city of Rajkot, that represented the Indian state Gujarat in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team played in the IPL The team, along with Rising Pune Supergiant for two season between ...
at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium,
Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
in the 2016 Indian Premier League.


Test match performance


Records and achievements

* Fastest Australian batsman and sixth-fastest batsman in the world to reach 10,000 runs in
International cricket International cricket matches are played between teams representing their nations, normally organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The main forms are Test matches, One-Day matches and Twenty20 matches. Most games are played ...
. * Fastest batsman to reach 7,000, 8,000 runs in Tests. * Joint second-fastest batsman (after Don Bradman), youngest Australian and fourth youngest overall to reach 6,000 runs in Tests. * Only the second batsman to score more than 1,000 runs in
Test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
in four consecutive calendar years. * First batsman to register ten successive scores of 50 or more against a single opponent in Test history. * The second-highest Test batting rating (947), behind
Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...
's 961, reached on 30 December 2017. * Only player to win the
ICC Test Player of the Year The ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year is an annual award, presented since 2004 by the International Cricket Council to the best Test cricketer over the year in question. It is one of the annual ICC Awards. Selection The recipient of the annual ...
award more than once. * Second youngest batsman to top the ICC Test batting rankings. * Joint most consecutive 50+ scores in World Cup history with five such scores in the
2015 Cricket World Cup The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 11th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was jointly hosted by A ...
. * Joint most 50+ scores (four) in Cricket World Cup knockout matches. * During the 2018 Australian tour to South Africa, he equalled the world record by taking five catches as a non-wicketkeeper in a Test innings and was the 11th fielder to achieve this feat. * Youngest player to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year award). * Fastest batsman after
Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has b ...
(68 Innings) to reach 25 test centuries (119 Innings). * Fifth player to win the Allan Border Medal more than once. * First cricketer to win the McGilvray Medal four times. * Named as ICC
Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
batsman In cricket, batting is the act or skill of hitting the cricket ball, ball with a cricket bat, bat to score runs (cricket), runs and prevent the dismissal (cricket), loss of one's wicket. Any player who is currently batting is, since Septembe ...
of 2010's. * Fastest Australian batsman to reach 14,000 runs in International cricket.


Awards

* Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year): 2015 *
ICC Test Player of the Year The ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year is an annual award, presented since 2004 by the International Cricket Council to the best Test cricketer over the year in question. It is one of the annual ICC Awards. Selection The recipient of the annual ...
: 2015, 2017 * ICC Men's Test Player of the Decade: 2011–2020 * ICC Men's Test Team of the Decade: 2011–2020 * ICC Test Team of the Year: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 * ICC ODI Team of the Year: 2015 * Allan Border Medal: 2015, 2018, 2021 * Australian Test Player of the Year: 2015, 2018 * Australian One Day International Player of the Year: 2015, 2021 *
Compton–Miller Medal The Compton–Miller Medal is an award for the man of the series in an individual Ashes series of cricket matches between Australia and England. The award was inaugurated in 2005 and is named after two great cricketers: the batsman Denis Comp ...
: 2017–18, 2019 * McGilvray Medal: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 * Steve Waugh Award: 2009–10, 2011–12 *
Wisden Cricketers of the Year The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication '' Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
: 2015


In popular culture

The Test, a 2020 Australian English-language TV documentary, produced as an Original for Amazon Prime Video. The documentary was also co-produced by
Cricket Australia Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Crick ...
. The documentary revolves around the Infamous ball-tampering scandal at Cape Town in March 2018 and how Australia rebuild their reputation after the scandal. Smith's redemption and his dominating batting display in the
2019 Ashes The 2019 Ashes series (officially the Specsavers Ashes Series for sponsorship reasons) was a series of Test cricket matches played between England and Australia for The Ashes in August and September 2019. The venues were Edgbaston, Lord's, ...
after the scandal was one of the key point of the series.


See also

* List of cricketers by number of international centuries scored * List of cricketers who have scored centuries in both innings of a Test match


References


Publications

*


External links

*
Steve Smith at HowstatSteve Smith
at
Cricket Australia Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Crick ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Steve 1989 births Australia One Day International cricketers Australia Test cricket captains Australia Test cricketers Australia Twenty20 International cricketers Australian cricketers Australian people of English descent Cricketers at the 2011 Cricket World Cup Cricketers at the 2015 Cricket World Cup Cricketers at the 2019 Cricket World Cup Cricketers from Sydney Kochi Tuskers Kerala cricketers Living people New South Wales cricketers Pune Warriors India cricketers Rising Pune Supergiant cricketers Royal Challengers Bangalore cricketers Sydney Sixers cricketers Wisden Cricketers of the Year Worcestershire cricketers Barbados Royals cricketers Comilla Victorians cricketers International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year Delhi Capitals cricketers