The manager of Steve Smith has denied his client has any plans to retire from Test cricket this summer.
Speculation has continued to simmer about the 34-year-old as his long-time teammate David Warner prepares to wave goodbye to the purest form of the game.
Earlier this year Warner signalled his intention to retire from the international red-ball game following the Test series against Pakistan, which concludes in Sydney in January.
READ MORE: Champion sevens giving hope to Australian rugby
READ MORE: Twist in ugly feud as Johnson cut from key role
READ MORE: 'Intimidatory and misogynistic' allegations rock F1
Warner is one of a number of players now in his mid-30s in the Test team, including Smith, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon.
Smith in particular has been given the chance to debunk retirement rumours on several occasions this year, and hasn't been emphatic in his denials.
But now his manager Warren Craig has told The Sydney Morning Herald Smith will not retire this summer.
"I can debunk that at this point in time," Craig said.
"He's still talking about things he wants to achieve."
While Smith's career is littered with incredible achievements, he – and all his teammates – have failed to win a Test series in India or in England.
It's widely believed these two goals are partially, if not entirely, driving some of the older players to continue a little longer.
Australia hosts England at home next summer in the next Ashes series, so Smith would have to play until he's 37 if he wants to contest the urn in England again.
In 102 Test matches to date, Smith has scored 9320 runs at an envious average of 58.61, putting him among the very best batters to ever play cricket.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.