New Delhi, March 05 (HS): Veteran Australian cricket team player Steve Smith, who was eliminated from the tournament after losing to the Indian team in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, has said goodbye to the ODI format. Cricket Australia gave this information on Wednesday.

Smith was leading the Australian team in the absence of Pat Cummins in the Champions Trophy. He also played an innings of 73 runs in the semi-final played on Tuesday, but he could not lead Australia to victory and the team had to face defeat by four wickets at the hands of India. For now, Smith will continue to play in Test and T20 cricket.

Saying goodbye to his ODI career, Smith said in a statement issued by Cricket Australia on Wednesday that it has been a great journey and I enjoyed every moment. Winning two World Cups was an incredible experience. Now is the right time to start preparing for the 2027 World Cup, so I think this is the right time to retire from ODIs.

He further said ,Test cricket is still my priority and I am excited about the World Test Championship final, the West Indies tour and then the home series against England. I think I still have a lot to give in this format.

Smith has been one of Australia’s most successful ODI players. He made his ODI debut as an all-rounder against the West Indies in 2010. Later he became the team’s leading batsman. In his ODI career, he scored 5,800 runs in 170 matches at an average of 43.28, including 12 centuries and 35 half-centuries. Apart from this, he also took 28 wickets. Smith was an important part of Australia’s 2015 and 2023 World Cup-winning teams. He also captained Australia in 64 ODIs.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar