Steve Smith, the veteran Australian batsman, admitted that he is unsure whether he will be part of the Australian squad for the 2027 Ashes series in England. The 38‑year‑old will celebrate his birthday just weeks before the first Test at Trent Bridge in June 2027, and the prospect of playing in England at that stage of his career carries a special significance. Smith has never been a member of a winning Ashes side on English soil, so the 2027 contest could represent his final opportunity to achieve that elusive milestone.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Smith explained his cautious approach to future selection. "I don't even know if I'll be there yet," he said. "I treat each series as a separate decision, which is how I've been operating for a while now.
The 2027 Ashes are still a long way off for me at this point. I would love to win an Ashes in England, but we’ll have to see if that ever becomes a reality." Smith's statistical record in England is impressive. Over 23 Test matches on English pitches, he has amassed 2,334 runs at an average of 54.27, including eight centuries and ten half‑centuries.
His recent form has been equally strong: he averaged just over 50 in the nine Tests he played in 2025, and in the three Tests so far this year—a match against England and two against Bangladesh—he is sitting on an average of 61.40. Reflecting on his current batting mindset, Smith said, "I feel like I’m batting very well at the moment.
I’ve discovered new ways to negotiate the tricky surfaces we encounter and still manage to put runs on the board. My goal is to contribute as much as possible for the team—whether that’s scoring runs, taking catches, or stepping up in leadership when needed.
It’s been a rewarding and enjoyable couple of years." Beyond Test cricket, Smith is eager to extend his T20 career and hopes to represent Australia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, where cricket will be featured. He also voiced concerns about a new bowling trend that is making life increasingly difficult for batsmen.
"There are some deliveries now that are essentially unplayable," he warned. "If a ball is seaming two degrees off the line, you either don’t play at it or you’re probably not a very good batsman if you try. If the ball is swinging in and hitting the top of the stumps, you’re trapped and there’s nothing you can do." Smith highlighted the contrast between the current dominance of seam bowling and the diminishing role of spin in Test matches. He noted that England’s recent 3‑0 home series win over Pakistan featured no specialist spinner, relying instead on part‑timer Dan Lawrence and a quartet of pace bowlers—Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue, Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson.
For Australia, the selection of off‑spinner Nathan Lyon has become less certain when conditions favour seam. "When the ball is moving as much as it is, and bowlers can maintain relentless pressure by hitting the right spots, spin becomes the easiest discipline to face and the one that offers the most scoring opportunities," Smith observed. "It’s a pity we’ve had such ‘spicy’ pitches that have reduced the impact of spin. I love playing against spinners and watching them bowl; I was even a spin bowler in my younger days.
I would love to see spin regain a larger role in Test cricket." Looking ahead, Australia’s next major red‑ball assignment is a three‑match Test series in South Africa, scheduled to begin on 9 October. This will be the first away series against the Proteas since the fallout from the 2018 ball‑tampering scandal, which resulted in bans for Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. All three matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, with 11 am start times for viewers in the UK and Ireland. In summary, while Smith’s desire to win an Ashes series on English soil remains strong, his participation in the 2027 contest is still undecided.
His continued high performance, combined with his ambitions in limited‑overs cricket and his advocacy for a greater role for spin, suggest that he will remain a central figure in Australian cricket discussions for the foreseeable future, regardless of whether he ultimately dons the baggy green for the 2027 Ashes.