Dubai, March 5, 2025 – Australian cricket legend Steve Smith has officially hung up his boots in One Day International (ODI) cricket, marking the end of an illustrious chapter in his career.
The announcement came immediately after Australia’s heart-wrenching semi-final defeat to India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where Smith, despite top-scoring for his team, couldn’t prevent a four-wicket loss.
As the cricketing world bids farewell to one of its finest Test batsmen
in the ODI arena, let’s dive into the remarkable legacy Smith leaves behind in
the 50-over format.
A Stellar
ODI Journey
Steve Smith,
born on June 2, 1989, debuted for Australia in ODIs against the West
Indies in 2010 as a leg-spinning all-rounder with a promising batting
upside. Over the next 15 years, he evolved into one of Australia’s most
dependable middle-order batsmen, amassing a record that cements his status
as a modern great in the format.
Key
ODI Statistics
- Matches
Played: 148
- Innings:
132
- Runs
Scored: 5,977
- Batting
Average: 46.10
- Strike
Rate: 87.10
- Centuries:
11
- Half-Centuries:
39
- Highest
Score: 164* (against Scotland, 2015)
- Best
Bowling Figures: 3/16 (against Pakistan, 2014)
- Catches: 81
Key
Highlights and Records in ODIs
- World
Cup Performances:
- Smith
played a pivotal role in Australia’s victorious 2015 Cricket World Cup
campaign, where he was the team’s leading run-scorer. He scored 402 runs
in the tournament, including five half-centuries in his last five innings
(quarterfinal, semifinal, and final), making him the first player to
achieve fifty-plus scores in these crucial stages of a World Cup.
- In
the 2011 World Cup, he debuted as a bowling all-rounder but had a limited
impact, scoring 21 runs and taking 1 wicket across 3 matches.
- Captaincy
in ODIs:
- Smith
captained Australia in 11 ODIs, achieving a win-loss record of 8-3.
Notable series wins under his leadership include the 2022–23 ODI series
against India, the 2023–24 series against West Indies, and the 2024
series against England.
- He became Australia’s ODI captain in 2015, replacing Michael Clarke, but his captaincy was disrupted by the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa, leading to a 12-month ban and a two-year leadership ban, after which he returned as vice-captain under Pat Cummins.
- Batting
Position:
- Smith
primarily batted in the top order (often at No. 3 or 4) in ODIs,
showcasing his versatility as a middle-order batsman. His ability to
adapt to different batting positions was evident in the 2015 World Cup,
where he batted in various positions from No. 3 to the middle order.
- Notable
Innings:
- His
highest ODI score of 164* came against Scotland in 2015, demonstrating
his dominance against weaker opposition.
- In
the 2015 World Cup final against New Zealand, he scored an unbeaten 58,
contributing significantly to Australia’s 7-wicket victory.
- Bowling
Contribution:
- Early
in his career, Smith was selected as a leg-spinning all-rounder, but as
his batting prowess grew, his bowling became occasional. He took 28
wickets in ODIs at an average of 35.71, with his best figures being 3/16
against Pakistan in 2014.
- Fielding
Excellence:
- Smith is renowned for his athleticism and sharp fielding, taking 81 catches in ODIs, often in close-catching positions like slip or short leg.
"Steve
Smith's ODI Journey Ends, Legacy Lives On"