Steve Smith (cricketer)
Steven Peter Devereux Smith is an Australian international cricketer, former captain of the Australian national team in all three formats of the game and since 2021, the vice-captain of the Australian Test team. He is regarded as the best Test batsman of his generation, scoring over 10,000 Test runs, having reached an ICC Test batting rating of 947, the second-highest figure of all time, only behind Don Bradman's 961 and was named ICC Men's Test Player of the Decade for 2011–2020.
Although he was initially selected for Australia as a leg-spinning all-rounder in all formats in 2010, Smith was always earmarked as a batting prospect following successful batting campaigns in domestic cricket early in his career. After playing five Test matches from 2010 to 2011 as a bowling all-rounder, he was recalled to the Australian Test team in 2013 as a batsman and took over the captaincy from Michael Clarke in late 2015. Smith now plays primarily as a batsman, and has predominantly batted at number 4 in Test cricket and number 3 in ODIs and T20Is.
Awards he has won include the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy in 2015; ICC Test Player of the Year in 2015 and 2017; ICC Men's Test Player of the Decade for 2011–2020; the Allan Border Medal for the best player in Australian Cricket in 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2023; Australian Test Player of the Year in 2015 and 2018, and Australian One Day International Player of the Year in 2015 and 2021. He was named by Wisden as one of their Cricketers of the Year in the 2016 Wisden Almanack. In December 2017, Smith reached an ICC Test batting rating of 947, the second-highest figure of all time, only behind Don Bradman's 961.
In March 2018, Smith as Australian captain was widely criticised for the ball tampering incident which occurred in the third Test against South Africa. During the Test, Smith stood down from the team captaincy following immediate backlash and was replaced by Tim Paine. Following an investigation by Cricket Australia, Smith was banned from all international and domestic cricket in Australia for one year, and from consideration for any leadership role for an additional year.
In November 2021, Smith returned to an official Australian leadership role, as Test vice-captain starting in the 2021–22 Ashes series. In December 2021, Smith returned to Test captaincy duties when Pat Cummins was unavailable due to COVID-19 for the 2nd Test. He has since captained in 6 Tests for 5 wins and a draw, including Australia's only Test victory in India since 2017 when he was captain. In March 2023, Smith returned to ODI captaincy duties, he went on to captain another 13 ODIs, winning the 2022–23 ODI series vs India, the 2023–24 ODI series vs West Indies and the 2024 ODI series v England and captaining Australia in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. He retired from ODI cricket on 5 March 2025, leading Australia in his last ODI as captain.
Smith was a core member of the Australian white-ball teams that won the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and was vice-captain of the Australia Test team that won the 2021–23 ICC World Test Championship.
Early and personal life
Steve Smith was born on 2 June 1989 in Kogarah, a suburb of the St George region of Southern Sydney to an Australian father, Peter, who has a degree in chemistry, and an English mother, Gillian. Smith attended Menai High School and left at age 17 to play cricket in England.Because his mother was born in London, Smith has dual British and Australian citizenship. In 2011, Smith started dating Dani Willis, a commerce and law student at Macquarie University. In June 2017, the couple announced their engagement while on holiday in New York. The couple married at Berrima, New South Wales on 15 September 2018.
Smith is a supporter of the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League.
Youth and domestic career
During his junior years of cricket, Smith's role was primarily batting all-rounder, bowling fast-medium until the age of 15 before switching to leg-spin. In 2007, Smith temporarily left Australia to play cricket in England, where he played club cricket for Sevenoaks Vine in the Kent Cricket League. His outstanding performances for Sevenoaks resulted in being selected to play for Surrey County's second XI.Smith was a member of the Australian team at the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. In the tournament he scored 114 runs and took seven wickets in four matches.
Smith made his first-class debut for New South Wales against Western Australia at the SCG on 25 January 2008. He scored 33 runs in his only innings as New South Wales defeated Western Australia. He was part of the New South Wales team that won the 2009 Twenty20 Champions League. In the final against Trinidad and Tobago at Hyderabad, Smith delivered an all-round performance, scoring 33 runs with the bat and taking two wickets.
By the end of the 2009–10 domestic season, Smith had a first-class batting average of over 50 after 13 first-class matches. While his first-class bowling average in the high forties was not as impressive, his bowling appeared to be steadily improving following some well-publicised mentoring and praise from Shane Warne. In the final match of the season he took 7 for 64 in the second innings against South Australia.
In October 2013, Smith as captain and No.3 batsman, led NSW to their first One-Day Final for the first time since 2006 when they beat South Australia. In the 2013–14 Ryobi One-Day Cup Final against Queensland, Smith scored 61 runs, after QLD elected to bowl first. NSW reached a total of 317, and QLD chased it down in the final over with 5 balls left to spare in the match.
In March 2014, Smith batting No.3, scored 75 and 103 not out to lead NSW to draw against Western Australia in the 2013-14 Sheffield Shield final in Canberra. NSW finished 1st in the season so they claimed the title, for the first time since 2007-08.
In 2014–15, Smith did not feature in the 2014-15 domestic season, due to international commitments.
In October 2015, Smith as captain led NSW to beat South Australia in the 2015–16 Matador BBQs One-Day Cup Final at North Sydney Oval with 2 catches and 84 runs, batting No.3. NSW winning by 9 wickets with 20 overs to spare with Smith and Ed Cowan remaining not out, comfortably chasing the 221 target in 29.5 overs. Smith was the highest run scorer of the season with 435 runs, averaging 145 with 2 hundreds, 3 fifties and a highest score of 143, striking at over 100, undismissed in 3 of the 6 matches he played.
In October 2015, following the win in the 2015–16 Matador BBQs One-Day Cup Final, Smith made his only Sheffield Shield appearance for the 2015–16 season, playing again against South Australia, Smith scored 67 in the first innings and scored 152 runs from 192 deliveries in the second innings.
In October 2016, Smith scored his third consecutive Sheffield Shield century, scoring 117 against Queensland at The Gabba. This was his 10th consecutive score of 50 or more in a Sheffield Shield match innings, dating back to the 2012-13 Sheffield Shield season, when Smith scored 90 against Queensland in Canberra, November 2012.
In November 2017, against Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield at the Hurstville Oval Smith scored 76 from 130 in NSWs first innings, striking at 58.46 and in the second innings, scored 127 from 167, at strike rate of 76.01.
In 2018–19, Smith was banned from the domestic competitions for the 2018-19 cricket season due to Sandpaper Gate.
In October 2019, Smith played his first match back in Australia since returning from his Sandpaper Gate suspension, playing for NSW against Queensland at the Gabba in the opening round of the 2019-20 Sheffield Shield season. In Queensland's first innings, Smith took 2 catches and bowled 2 overs. Smith was dismissed for 0 from 5 late on day 1 by Cameron Gannon, while fellow returnee Warner scored 125 runs. In Queensland's second innings, Smith again took 2 catches and bowled 6 wicket-less overs. Smith scored 21 from 31 in the second innings.
In October 2019, Smith scored his first century in Australia since 2017, playing against Tasmania at the Drummoyne Oval in the Sheffield Shield, Smith scored a patient 106 runs from 258 deliveries at a strike rate of 41.08. In the following One-Day Cup match, Smith returned to the NSW One-Day side for the first time since he captained the 2015–16 Matador BBQs One-Day Cup Final win. Smith was out of 9 from 6 deliveries.
In November 2019, Smith scored his 12th Sheffield Shield century, playing against Western Australia, at the SCG, Smith scored an even more patient century than the previous one against Tasmania, scoring 103 runs from 295 deliveries, at a strike rate of 34.91. Smith took 1 catch and 1 wicket in the match.
In February 2021, Smith scored 127 runs from 124 deliveries against Victoria in the 2020–21 Marsh One-Day Cup at North Sydney Oval. Smith also bowled 2 wicket-less overs with the ball.
In October 2024, Smith returned to the Sheffield Shield for the first time since the 2020-21 Shield season. Playing against Victoria, batting in his customary No.3 position for NSW, Smith was out caught for 3 off 29 in the 1st innings and was out for 0 from 4, lbw to Scott Boland. Smith also made an appearance for NSW in the Dean Jones Trophy for the first time since the 2020-21 Marsh One-Day Cup. Smith scored 56 from 53 deliveries before falling lbw to Peter Siddle.
In October 2025, Smith scored his 13th Sheffield Shield century, for NSW, against Queensland at the Gabba. Smith batted at No.4 for NSW for the first time since 2013, with Smith only batting No.4 once when Nathan Lyon was used as a nightwatchman in 2021 against Victoria.
In November 2025, Smith was re-instated as NSW captain. In his first game as NSW captain since 2017, against Victoria at the SCG, Smith batted fluently in both innings scoring half centuries in both innings, while the rest of his team mates struggled with the bat. Smith was undismissed in the 4th innings while he only was dismissed taking a risk while wickets fell around him in the 2nd innings. Victoria won by 300 runs..
In Australia's One-Day Domestic Competition, Smith has the second highest average of all time with 58.09, only behind Michael Bevans 61.18 for those that have scored at least 500 runs.