Steve Smith keen to play LA 2028 Olympics, eyes return to Australia T20I side

Smith has turned out for Australia in 67 T20Is, scoring 1094 runs at a strike rate of 125.45 (average - 24.86). | Photo Credit: RV MOORTHY

Australia’s Steve Smith expressed his desire to return to the national T20I side, with ambitions to take part in Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, when cricket makes a long-awaited return.

Smith, who last played a T20I in February 2024, is currently featuring in the European T20 Premier League, turning out for Amsterdam Flames.

“Right now, probably it’s just the Olympics to try to be a part of that. One of the reasons why I wanted to play with Amsterdam here was to continue playing as much T20 cricket as I can,” said Smith in an interview with The Telegraph.

“I still like to think I could play T20 cricket for a while. What’s next for me when I finish? I’m not sure, but yeah, hopefully a bit more time left playing. I’ve achieved a lot in the game. It’s been a great ride for the last 15 years or thereabouts. I’ve had a lot of fun. I’m still enjoying it, so I don’t have an end date, we’ll wait and see. But it’s been a good ride,” he added.

The 37-year-old has turned out for Australia in 67 T20Is, scoring 1094 runs at a strike rate of 125.45 (average - 24.86). In recent years, Smith has shown greater urgency with the bat, clocking 140+ strike rate in every year since 2023 in all T20s.

Smith also spoke about his process of switching between formats. “You just have to work it on the go. I have one or two hits in the nets, and I’m ready to play going from either T20 to Test or Test to T20. It doesn’t really make a big difference to me. I’ve played so much cricket now that it doesn’t take me long to be able to get into the swing of things.”