Steve Smith insists he is no clearer about a path to retirement from Test cricket and says taking a lead from fellow veteran David Warner is not an option.
Australia faces a changing of the guard in the coming years, with Warner the first player to announce retirement plans.
In confirming he wants to finish up midway through the next Australian summer, Warner became the first active member of the national Test team to announce his retirement since Mitchell Johnson in 2015.
At 34, Smith is two years younger than Warner but they are among a group of celebrated stars in their thirties who have been the backbone of the Australian side for several seasons.
Smith indicated in January his retirement could be imminent, admitting in Sydney he may have played his last Test on home soil before later going back on the comments.
But when asked if he had any clarity about his future on Monday ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) showdown with India following Warner’s announcement, Smith said: “No”.
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Asked if he wanted to elaborate further, Smith repeated: “No”.
Warner’s retirement plans have put selectors in a tricky position, with the opener no guarantee to hold his spot through the Ashes series after a lean three-year period with the bat.
Smith backed Warner’s decision to make a clear call on when he wanted to bow out, with Warner planning to make the SCG Test against Pakistan in January his last.
“It’s nice to have an end date, I suppose, if that’s the way you want to go,” Smith said.
“But ultimately for all of us we’ve going to be doing our job and for batters that is scoring runs.
“In an ideal world, I think Davey said that’s when he’d like to pick it up. But we’ve got to score runs, all of us. So we’ll see what happens.”
While retirement is not a topic Smith wants to embrace, he is worried about the future of Test cricket.
The WTC final and Ashes series are being played amid fears over the viability of the long-format game against the rise of global franchise contracts across multiple leagues.
“I am slightly concerned,” Smith said.
“Hopefully Test cricket still stays alive and well.
“I think it’s in a good place at the moment in terms of some of the games we’ve seen recently have been pretty amazing.
“As a traditionalist and someone that loves Test cricket, I hope it still remains at the front of all the boards’ minds and stays alive and well for some time to come.”
