Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith has shared his retirement plans ahead of the fifth test of the Ashes 2025/26 in Sydney.

Smith has played down retirement speculation and reflected on his recent batting form ahead of the final test against England.

Steve Smith had a remarkable 62.84 in his test career at the end of the 2019, has been seeing a decline in his form which made his average dropped down to 55.85 after 122 matches.

Speaking ahead of the Sydney Test, Steve Smith made it clear that retirement is not currently on his mind.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing at the end of this week. I’ve said it for a while — I’m taking it day by day, series by series. We’ll see where things land. I feel like I’m doing all right at the moment. I’m enjoying it. I’m contributing and having fun. There’s no real end date for me, I suppose. I’m still playing and I’m enjoying it,” said Smith.

Smith announced his ODI retirement after Australia being knocked out of the Champions Trophy 2025 after losing against India in the semifinals.

Reflecting on his role as a senior member of the squad, Smith emphasised the importance of guiding young players and passing on his experience of Test cricket.

“It’s been great to be a part of, and now, as an older player, hopefully I can help some of the players coming through and teach them the game of Test cricket. I guess that’s my role now,” he added.

Over the years, Smith accumulated 3,376 runs from 47 matches at an average of 46.88, including ten centuries and 15 fifties.

In the ongoing series, he led Australia in three games in the absence of Pat Cummins absence, winning two and losing one.

The final test will be played between January 04 and 08 at Sydney Cricket GroundMoore Park.