Steve Smith

Steve Smith is an Australian right-hand batter and occasional leg-spinner, widely regarded as the finest Test batter of his generation. He owns the second-highest ICC Test batting rating in history (947, behind Don Bradman’s 961) and has been part of Australia’s title-winning squads at the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups and the 2021 T20 World Cup. As of 15 July 2025, his career tallies include 10,477 Test runs at 56.02 with 36 Test hundreds; 5,800 ODI runs at 43.28 with 12 ODI hundreds; and 1,094 T20I runs. He announced his ODI retirement on 5 March 2025 after captaining Australia at the Champions Trophy that month. 

Early Life

Steven Peter Devereux Smith was born 2 June 1989 in Kogarah, Sydney to Peter (Australian) and Gillian (English). Owing to his mother’s birthplace, he holds dual Australian–British citizenship. He attended Menai High School and, at 17, headed to England to further his cricket. 

Personal Life

Smith began dating Dani Willis in 2011; the couple got engaged in June 2017 in New York and married on 15 September 2018 in Berrima, NSW. Outside cricket he is a noted student of batting technique and preparation; his leadership returned in 2021 when he was reinstated as Australia’s Test vice-captain after serving a one-year suspension following the 2018 ball-tampering incident.

Domestic Career

Smith’s first-class debut for New South Wales came on 25 January 2008 at the SCG. Earlier he toured with Australia U-19 at the 2008 World Cup and also played club and second-XI cricket in England (Sevenoaks Vine, Surrey 2nd XI). He won the 2009 Champions League T20 with NSW, contributing with both bat and ball in the final. 

Big Bash League (BBL)

Smith joined Sydney Sixers in the BBL’s inaugural (city-based) season and occasionally captained them to the title in 2011-12. In January 2023 he smashed the Sixers’ first BBL century (101 off 56) and followed it with an even bigger 125 off 66 that same season; in 2025 he added 121 off 64 for a third BBL ton.

USA & UK franchise cricket

Smith captained Washington Freedom to the MLC 2024 title, starring in a 96-run win in the final; Washington confirmed the triumph the same day. In MLC 2025, MI New York edged Washington in a last-over thriller to take the crown. In England, Smith signed for Welsh Fire in The Hundred 2025. 

Test Career

Originally picked in 2010 as a leg-spinning all-rounder, Smith’s recall in 2013 marked a shift to top-order batting greatness. His output between 2013 and 2019 was extraordinary, culminating in the 2019 Ashes where he stacked 774 runs at 110.57 despite missing a Test with concussion—one of the best series by a visiting batter in England. He later scored a century (121) in the 2023 WTC Final at The Oval as Australia beat India to lift the mace. In January 2024, after David Warner’s retirement, Smith moved up to open the batting in Tests. Australia reached the WTC 2025 Final at Lord’s but lost to South Africa by five wickets. 

Test milestones & notes

  • 10,000 Test runs milestone achieved in 2025; maintains a career average above 55.

  • ICC Test batting rating peak 947 (Dec 2017), second only to Don Bradman.

ODI Career

Smith debuted in February 2010 and became a mainstay through two World Cup wins (2015, 2023). A busy 2023 saw him contribute across formats; after returning to ODI captaincy intermittently, he retired from ODIs on 5 March 2025, a day before Australia’s Champions Trophy semi-final, finishing with 5,800 runs at 43.28 and 12 centuries. 

ODI highlights

  • Career-best 164 vs New Zealand at the SCG (2016).

  • World Cup winner 2015 (Australia & NZ) and 2023 (India).

T20I Career

Smith’s T20I role has varied—from finishing roles to top-order anchor. He has 1,094 runs from 67 T20Is, with a best of 90. He was part of Australia’s T20 World Cup 2021 winning squad, but was left out of the 2024 T20 World Cup squad, serving instead in a promotional/ambassadorial capacity during the US-Caribbean tournament. 

Career summary (international)

Format Matches Innings Runs Avg SR 100s/50s HS
Tests 119 212 10,477 56.02 53.68 36/43 239
ODIs 170 154 5,800 43.28 86.96 12/35 164
T20Is 67 55 1,094 24.86 125.45 0/5 90

IPL Career

Smith’s IPL journey spans Pune Warriors (2012–13), Rajasthan Royals (2014–15, 2019–20), Rising Pune Supergiant (2016–17)—whom he captained to the 2017 final—and Delhi Capitals (2021). Across 103 IPL matches, he has 2,485 runs at ~34.5, with 1 century and 11 fifties; he top-scored with 51 in the gripping 2017 final, where RPS fell short by a run. He went unsold in subsequent auctions but has remained prolific in other T20 leagues. 

IPL summary

Season span Teams Matches Runs Avg SR 100s/50s HS
2012–2021 PWI, RR, RPS, DC 103 2,485 ~34.5 ~128–130 1/11 101

Records and Achievements

  • ICC awards: Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (2015), ICC Test Cricketer of the Year (2015, 2017), ICC Men’s Test Player of the Decade (2011–2020).
  • Test run landmarks: Fastest to 7,000 and 8,000 Test runs; second-fastest to 9,000. 36 Test hundreds, including 12 vs England and 11 vs India (combined Tests/ODIs per century list). 
  • Ashes 2019: 774 runs at 110.57 (3 hundreds, 3 fifties)—5th-highest aggregate in an Ashes series. 
  • Fielding: Most Test catches by an Australian; among the fastest to 300 international catches.

  • Major titles:

    • World Test Championship: Winner 2023; Runner-up 2025. 
    • Cricket World Cup: Winner 2015, 2023. 
    • T20 World Cup: Winner 2021. 
    • MLC: Champion 2024 (captain, Washington Freedom).
    • BBL: First Sixers player with a BBL century; three BBL hundreds by 2025. 

Major international trophies

Trophy Year(s) Result
ICC World Test Championship 2023 Winner
ICC World Test Championship 2025 Runner-up
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, 2023 Winner
ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Winner