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<\/p>\nThe door remains slightly ajar for Steve Smith to be parachuted into Australia\u2019s T20 World Cup squad as an eleventh-hour addition following his recent Big Bash League heroics.<\/p>\n
The 36-year-old has not played a T20I in nearly two years, but his blistering Big Bash form has prompted calls for a long-awaited return to Australia\u2019s 20-over team.<\/p>\n
Although he retired from ODIs last year, Smith remains available for selection for T20Is, recently reiterating his ambition to represent Australia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The only place to stream every match of the 2025\/26 KFC BBL LIVE is on FOX CRICKET, available on Kayo Sports. | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1 ><\/a><\/p>\n Since the start of the decade, Smith has averaged 22.47 in T20Is with a modest strike rate of 121.93, mustering just one half-century in 27 knocks. He was dropped ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup on home soil to make room in the middle order for pinch-hitter Tim David, a justified decision at the time.<\/p>\n However, the New South Welshman thumped consecutive hundreds for the Sydney Sixers in early 2023 to press his case for a recall, earning selection for the following year\u2019s T20 tour of New Zealand.<\/p>\n But after posting scores of 11 and 4 against the Black Caps, Smith was ignored for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, while the Indian Premier League franchises have also lost interest in the champion batter, going unsold in four consecutive auctions.<\/p>\n T20I strike rate among Australians this decade<\/p>\n 175.04 – Tim David<\/p>\n 169.17 \u2014 Travis Head<\/p>\n 159.26 \u2014 Josh Inglis<\/p>\n 152.15 \u2014 Marcus Stoinis<\/p>\n 150.77 – Glenn Maxwell<\/p>\n 145.38 – David Warner<\/p>\n 142.49 \u2014 Mitchell Marsh<\/p>\n 142.03 \u2014 Matthew Wade<\/p>\n 125.58 \u2014 Aaron Finch<\/p>\n 121.93 – Steve Smith<\/p>\n * Minimum 25 innings<\/p>\n He is human!! Smith drops sitter | 00:36<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Australia named a provisional 15-player squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the subcontinent, with the likes of Matt Short, Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett earning selection, but personnel changes are permitted until 31 January.<\/p>\n And last week, Smith threw a cat among the pigeons by proving he was still a force to be reckoned with in the game\u2019s shortest format.<\/p>\n After hitting a 41-ball hundred during Friday\u2019s Sydney Smash against crosstown rivals the Thunder at the SCG \u2014 headlined by a record-breaking 32-run over against seamer Ran Hadley \u2014 Smith cracked a half-century during Sunday\u2019s must-win contest against the Brisbane Heat<\/a> at the Gabba.<\/p>\n During his time in New York in the off-season, Smith hired a personal trainer to help build his upper-body muscle with the hopes of improving his power-hitting, which paid dividends when he clobbered Thunder fast bowler Nathan McAndrew onto the roof of the SCG\u2019s Brewongle Stand, one of the biggest strikes witnessed at the iconic venue.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m trying to get a bit stronger and hit the ball a little bit further,\u201d Smith recently explained.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got to try and keep up with some of the guys that hit the ball a mile.\u201d<\/p>\n The right-hander has been a class above the rest of the competition, averaging 78.54 across his 15 last BBL innings, including four hundreds, a competition record, at a blistering strike rate of 171.42, with former Australian batter Mark Waugh declaring that he \u201cshould be the first player picked\u201d for the T20 World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s the best player in the competition at the moment,\u201d Waugh told Fox Cricket.<\/p>\n \u201cHe definitely should be in the Australian team (for the T20 World Cup). He\u2019d be in front of a lot of the players that have been picked on form alone.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we want to win it, he\u2019s got to be in it.\u201d<\/p>\n Highest BBL average this decade<\/p>\n 72.75 – Steve Smith<\/p>\n 47.00 – David Warner<\/p>\n 37.45 – Mitchell Marsh<\/p>\n 37.27 – Liam Scott<\/p>\n 36.50 – Glenn Maxwell<\/p>\n 35.34 \u2014 Marcus Stoinis<\/p>\n 34.87 \u2014 Alex Hales<\/p>\n 34.28 \u2014 Jordan Silk<\/p>\n * Minimum 15 innings<\/p>\n Steve Smith of the Sixers Photo by Matt King – CA\/Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesSource: Supplied<\/p>\n A 360-degree player with a wealth of experience in Asia, Smith would be a welcome addition to Australia\u2019s top order for the T20 World Cup \u2014 but there currently isn\u2019t a vacancy, with Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head forming a dangerous opening partnership.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, the middle order will be stacked with all-rounders and proven T20 finishers, including the likes of Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis and Tim David. Short and Connolly provide versatility with team balance while producing handy off-spin if required.<\/p>\n \u201cIdeally (Smith) would open, and maybe Mitch Marsh could bat three,\u201d Waugh continued.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re serious, he should be in there. If you\u2019re picking your best team and he\u2019s available, he\u2019s got to be in there.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know how good he is. He\u2019s a great player of spin, one of the best. You take all that into account, it would seem ridiculous that he\u2019s not in there.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon, chief selector George Bailey declared that Smith\u2019s T20 resurgence was a \u201cgreat problem to have\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201c(Smith\u2019s) playing incredibly well, as he has done in the BBL for the last couple of years, in a position that we\u2019ve got really good coverage in,\u201d Bailey said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he\u2019s had international opportunities of late, it has been at the top.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s playing incredibly well, but Mitch Marsh and Travis Head are also playing incredibly well, and they\u2019ve done really well at the top of us in that format.\u201d<\/p>\n