Australian batting maestro Steve Smith has set a bold goal for the future as he announced his desire to represent Australia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Smith is determined to extend his T20 career and confirmed his aim is to regain his place in the Australian cricket team and prove his worth at the Olympics.
On Saturday, January 12, the former Australian captain showed his class with a masterful knock of an unbeaten 121 off 64 balls to lead the Sydney Sixers to a crucial 14-run win over the Perth Scorchers in Match 30 of the ongoing Big Bash League 2024-25 (BBL 2024 -25) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Steve Smith targets 2028 LA Olympics, eyes T20 revival in Australian colors
With seven superb sixes and clever shots in Sydney, Steve Smith proved his ability to dominate bowlers and exploit fielding in the shorter format of the game. Despite being overlooked for the 2024 T20 World Cup and missing out on the last four IPL auctions, Smith has consistently impressed everyone with his stunning batting in the BBL.
The right-handed batsman has been in terrific form recently, smashing three centuries in just seven matches, equaling Ben McDermott for the most centuries in Big Bash League history. Notably, Smith accomplished the feat in just 32 games, while it took McDermott 100 innings to reach the milestone.
Well, Smith is undoubtedly one of the best T20 openers in Australia, but he doesn’t want to be just a domestic player in T20 cricket, as he has set his sights on winning back his place in the Australian T20 team. With the 2028 Olympics in his sights, Smith is all set to take his T20 career to the next level.
I would like to play in the Olympics: Steve Smith
Steve Smith was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “I would like to play in the Olympics; I think that would be great. We will see how far I can go in long cricket. But I’ll play short-run cricket for a while, I think, when I’m done. you never know. There are a lot of good young kids hitting the ball in the park.”
Meanwhile, cricket is returning to the Olympics after more than 100 years, and Smith can’t wait to be a part of that historic moment, despite the fact that he will be 39 at the time. While he hasn’t revealed his plans for red-ball cricket, Smith is focused on excelling in T20s for years to come.
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Smith says his game will improve drastically if he plays T20 games regularly
Notably, the Australian batting icon’s incredible 121 in BBL 2024-25 came with just 15 minutes of preparation after the recent Test series against India at home. Smith has thrived as a T20 opener and his performance has improved as the tournaments progress. He believes his game can reach even greater heights if he plays T20 matches regularly.
Smith further explained, “I find that the more I play back-to-back games, the more you get in sync with the game. Even on [Saturday]I don’t think I played my first 10 balls very well. I probably went a little too hard considering how the goalie was playing. But if I’m playing T20 regularly, I’ll probably come out with a slightly different mindset at the start, giving myself a bit more time. It’s just the gears and the shifting up and down during the shifts [that change for T20s]. And I’m just playing for percentages.”
