Steve Smith Retired From ODI Cricket
Steve Smith, one of the most talented and enduring batsmen of Australia, chose to retire from ODIs after 160 matches. The decision followed Australia’s elimination from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with a four-wicket defeat at the hands of India in the semi-final on March 4 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Steve had been standing in for Pat Cummins as captain during the injury absence for the later half of the ICC Champions Trophy. Smith departs the 50-over format with the rich record of 15 years, a masterpiece for his name, which builds a pedestal for him to stand on as one of Australia’s greatest ODI players.
Smith went on to confer the news to his teammates in the dressing room shortly afterwards. He leaves the game at 35 years with 170 ODIs to his name and more than 5,800 runs stacked at a decent average of 43.28, 12 centuries and 35 half-centuries with his top score coming from 164 against New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2016.
Aside from his batting credentials, Smith was also a useful bowler, claiming 28 wickets with his leg-spin, harking back to days as an allrounder and offering the kind of athleticism that saw him take 90 catches. He concluded his ODI run with India scoring a hard-fought 73 off 96 balls, even as he was eventually dismissed by Mohammed Shami while pushing a full toss toward mid-off.
Smith’s ODI career began back in 2010 when he made his debut against the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as a leg-spinning all-rounder. Over the years, he grew into one of the more dependable batters-a batting style learned from middle-order disposition.
His contributions towards the ODI success for Australia became monumental, especially during the ICC tournaments. He played a key role in winning the World Cup, having two winning occasions in 2015 and 2023, including the winning boundary in the 2015 final against New Zealand at the MCG and placing a historic defeat against host India in the 2023 one. His consistency throughout World events was supported in the 2019 World Cup by his return, with a 12-month ban behind him, smashing 10 half-centuries, which remains the highest for an Australian in the tournament.
While reflecting on his ODI career, he expressed a deep sense of gratitude and contentment in a statement released by Cricket Australia. He rendered the journey a “great ride,” one he loved through thick and thin with “some amazing times and excellent memories.”
By winning two World Cups, along with the bond shared with teammates who shared the journey, have been personal highlights. He also felt that it was the right time, considering the next ODI World Cup would be held in 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. He also wanted a smooth transition into the next generation. Smith, however, said his focus would remain on Test cricket, expressing excitement about future challenges like the World Test Championship Final, a trip to the West Indies in winter, and a home series against England, where he feels he still has a lot to contribute.
Smitty’s leadership on ODIs was yet another crucial thing that characterized his career. He was appointed the full-time captain after Michael Clarke retired following the 2015 Ashes, and he led Australia in 64 matches where he managed a 50 percent win. During his captaincy, he achieved a series win against England, and India within the first year while securing the Chappell-Hadlee trophy and winning the tri-series against South Africa and West Indies in 2016.
In the Champions Trophy, 2025 Smith stepped up as interim captain and led an inexperienced bowling line to the semifinals in the absence of players like Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, and Mitchell Starc. His tactics and ability to perform during pressure points were seen until the very last hurdle that came against India.
There was a wave of admiration and respect through the cricketing fraternity for the call that Smith had taken. His record of altogether 170 games and as a two-time World Cup winner makes him one of the great Australian ODI players, said George Bailey, chair of the National Selection Panel, and he too commended Cricket Australia for supporting Smith for the decision he had taken in lieu of series-by-series carpentry into his career and still remained fully committed as a pivotal leader of the team in Test cricket.
Todd Greenberg, the new chief executive of Cricket Australia, echoed these sentiments, laments Smitty’s ODI career as an “amazing one,” also substantiating to his contributions to the 2015 and 2023 World Cup victories. Mr. Greenberg expects to see Smith back in Test and T20I action, apparently eyeing the debut of T20 in 2028 in Los Angeles, where it will be part of the Olympic Games.
Smith has retired, marking a transitional stage in Australia’s ODI setup. His impending departure, with so many senior players out in the recent Champions Trophy following the World Cup in 2027, opens opportunities for the upcoming youngsters to seize.
His legacy in ODIs is however eternal with 5,800 runs placing him 12th all-time in Australia and a strike rate of 86.96 reflecting a fine balance of accumulation and aggression. Among the 11 Australians who scored more ODI runs, only David Warner and Adam Gilchrist have a higher strike rate, which is an indicator of the economy in batting Smith epitomizes. His fielding resonates too, with 0.53 catches on average per innings, bettered only by Glenn Maxwell and Mike Hussey among Australians with 70 or more catches.
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After his life’s most challenging chapter in ODI cricket, Smith wanted to gravitate toward the longest format mixed with varied T20 leagues. From a traditional leg-spin bowling all-rounder to a batting sorcerer, he was a microcosm for Australia in their most dominating days in the span. The tears he shed in 2018 over the ball-tampering scandal have since been washed away by celebrations of triumphs, and redemption is undoubtedly one of cricket’s best comeback tales. The 50-over format will miss Smith, but the cricketing world is eager to see what else he creates or achieves in the red-ball circuit and afar, where his appetite for runs and victories is unwavering.
