Smith was the stand-in skipper for the tournament in the absence of Pat Cummins. He played a fine knock of 73 runs off 96 deliveries against the Men in Blue in the last-four fixture, bagging four boundaries and maximums before being knocked over by Mohammed Shami in the 37th over.
Smith declared his decision to call it a day from 50-overs cricket to his teammates in the dressing room in the aftermath of the loss. He will continue to be available for selection in both Test and T20I cricket for Australia.
The 35-year-old began his career as a leg-spinner, before transitioning to become a specialist hatter in 2013-14. Known for his unconventional batting style, Smith was not considered to be adept for the ODI format in the early days of his career. However, he delivered incredible returns in the middle-order, often playing the role of an anchor. He was a critical component of the Australian teams that won the ODI World Cups in 2015 and 2019 respectively.
Smith played 170 ODIs, aggregating 5800 runs at an average of 43.2 and strike rate touching 87. The batter smashed 35 half-centuries and 12 tons in the format.
First Published: Mar 5, 2025 11:59 AM IST
