Steven Peter Devereux Smith is an Australian international cricketer, former captain of the Australian national team in all three formats of the game. He is regarded by many as the best Test batsman of his generation and one of the greatest Test batsmen of all time, having scored over 10,000 Test runs. In a career of twists and turns, Steven Smith started out as a legspinner and became Australia's best batter since Sir Donald Bradman, either side of having his career derailed by a ball-tampering scandal that saw him stripped of the captaincy and banned for 12 months.

Steve Smith was born on 2 June 1989 in Kogarah. Smith attended Menai High School and left at age 17 to play cricket in England. During his junior years of cricket, Smith's role was primarily batting all-rounder, bowling fast-medium until the age of 15 before switching to leg-spin. Smith was a member of the Australian team at the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. In the tournament he scored 114 runs and took seven wickets in four matches.

against Western Australia at the SCG in January 2008. He scored 33 runs in his only innings as New South Wales defeated Western Australia. He was part of the New South Wales team that won the 2009 Twenty20 Champions League. By the end of the 2009/10 domestic season, Smith had a first-class batting average of over 50 after 13 first-class matches. While his first-class bowling average in the high forties was not as impressive, his bowling appeared to be steadily improving following some well-publicised mentoring and praise from Shane Warne.[19] In the final match of the season he took 7/64 in the second innings against South Australia.

Steve Smith made his international cricket debut in a Twenty20 International match playing as a leg spinner against Pakistan at Melbourne in February 2010. The same month, he made his One Day International debut against the West Indies also at Melbourne, playing in the fifth match of the series. Smith made his Test debut at Lord's in July 2010, playing both Tests against Pakistan in the 2010 Test series played in England. He was selected mainly for his bowling, and batted down the order, although his bowling was not required in the first innings. In the second innings, he took 3/51 as Australia won by 150 runs. In the second Test he was called to bowl only ten overs and took no wickets, although he played an impressive role with the bat in the second innings. Batting with the tail, he scored 77.

In the 2010/11 Australian summer, Smith played three Tests in the 2010–11 Ashes series, this time playing more as a batsman, taking the number six spot in the order. His performances were solid during the series, getting a number of starts and scoring two half centuries. Following the 2010–11 Ashes, Smith did not play another Test for two years, his next Test series coming against India in March 2013. Smith's return to the test team came during the 2013 tour of India. In the previous two Sheffield seasons his form had been middling, averaging 37.

In his first match innings in India he scored 92 before being stumped by Dhoni from a delivery by Pragyan Ojha, and in the second innings he managed 5 runs.In the final Test match at Delhi, Smith made 46 and 18 runs, respectively, but Australia was unable to win the Test match as India secured a 4–0 series win. Following the defeat to India, Australia's next series was against England in the British Isles in July. In the Australia's A tour to the United Kingdom in June where he made 133 runs against Ireland in Belfast but also as a backup batsman due to Michael Clarke's fitness concerns. He played his first-class tour match with the main squad on 2 July 2013 in Worcester making 111 runs in both innings combined.

In the third Test being 2–0 down to England, Australia moved up north to Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester needing to win or draw to save the series. Smith made 89 and 19 runs, respectively, but in the final Test, Smith scored his maiden Test century, which came in the first innings of the last Test of the series at The Oval, reaching the total in style by hitting a six off the bowling of Jonathan Trott. He remained unbeaten on 138.* Smith became only the sixth Australian to reach his maiden Test 100 with a six. At the end of the series, the urn was retained by England after winning the series 3–0. Smith played in all five Tests, scoring 345 runs at an average of 38.33.

Smith remained in the team for the first Test of 2013/14 Ashes series in Brisbane. Despite starting slowly in the first two Tests, Smith produced his first Test century on home soil in the third Test at Perth, scoring 111 from 208 balls, helping Australia display a total of 6–326 at stumps on the second day to later win the Test match and be awarded man of the match. In the fourth Test at the MCG he was dismissed on 19 by Stuart Broad, but made another century with 115 runs from 154 deliveries in the first innings of the fifth and final Test at the SCG. His 128-run partnership with Brad Haddin helped Australia come back from 5–97 to 326 all out in the first innings and eventually went on to win the Test match by 281 runs. The victory in Sydney marked a 5–0 victory towards Australia after a dismal 3–0 loss during the winter period of 2013.

Australia were scheduled three Test matches and three T20 matches in South Africa. In the first Test at Centurion, Johannesburg, Smith made his fourth century and first in South Africa, where he and Shaun Marsh made a 233 run partnership from 4–98. The second Test in Port Elizabeth saw a slower pitch as Smith made 49 and a duck and South Africa levelled the series 1–1. In the deciding Test match in Cape Town, Smith made 89 runs in the first innings and finished 36 not out in the second innings as Australia won the series 2–1. Steve Smith produced 269 runs at an average of 67.25, the third-best in the series and the second-best by an Australian, second to David Warner.

Following a T20 came the 3-match ODI series. In the first ODI at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Smith made his first ODI century scoring 101 runs off 118 balls to push the visitors to a 1–0 lead in the series. Transitioning into the Test series saw Australia's continued failure against reverse swing and spin in the subcontinent. Arriving back from the subcontinent following their 2–0 Test defeat against Pakistan. Smith played in the series against South Africa where Australia defeated South Africa 4–1 in the ODI Series. In his first match in Perth he registered 10 runs but in the following games he made 73*, 104 and 67 runs. His hundred in the 4th ODI at the MCG was Smith's first on Australian soil. Smith scored 254 runs at an average of 84.66, the highest Australian total in the series and consequently receiving the man of the series award.

India arrived in Australia to play the Border–Gavaskar Test match series and a tri-series ODI competition with England. In the first Test match in Adelaide, Smith scored 162* from 298 balls in the first and made 52* in the second innings, defeating India by 48 runs into day five. This also marked Steve Smith's first Test century against India and at the Adelaide Oval. He made his captaincy debut for Australia in the Second Test match against India at the Gabba. He continued his batting form and made 133 runs in the first innings before being run-out in the second innings with a score of 28. Smith was awarded man of the match as Australia defeated India by 4 wickets. Australia were then up 2–0 in the series. In the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Smith made his third consecutive century in the first innings of the Test match scoring 192 runs in 433 balls. He also scored his 1,000th run in the 2014 calendar year.

The final Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground saw Smith in his fourth consecutive century against India. The achievement saw Smith join Don Bradman (6), Neil Harvey, Jack Fingleton and Matthew Hayden (4 each) as Australian centurions in four or more consecutive Tests, a streak Smith started during the 1st Test at Adelaide. Smith also became the first Australian skipper to open their captaincy with three consecutive centuries, and the second batsman since Jacques Kallis against West Indies to score a century in every match of a Test series. The conclusion of the Test series saw Smith be given the man of the series award, scoring 769 runs at an average of 128.16, the highest aggregate score in a four-test match series in Australia and also marked the highest number of runs scored against India by an Australian, surpassing Donald Bradman.

En route to the tri-series final, Smith was handed his first ODI match on 20 January as the skipper after George Bailey was suspended for a slow-over rate earlier in the series. Three days later, Smith scored his first ODI century against England producing 102 runs in 95 balls; the win saw Australia qualify for the final and later defeating England to win the Carlton Mid Triangular Series in Australia 2014/15. In the World Cup, Smith played a vital role as versatile batsman as he played in numerous batting positions from number three down to as a middle-order batsman. In Australia's opening match of the World Cup, against England, he was dismissed early on 5 but later improved as the tournament progressed.

In the final, Australia drew against fellow neighbours New Zealand after defeating South Africa. Australia's target to chase 183 runs after a New Zealand collapse saw Steve Smith score 58 not out alongside the skipper, Michael Clarke as Australia won by 7 wickets with 101 balls remaining. Smith was Australia's highest run scorer in the tournament, scoring 402 runs at an average of 67, including a century and four fifties. He was named in the team of the tournament for the 2015 World Cup by the ICC.

After winning the World Cup in March, Australia's winter schedule was later released with the Test team returned from their short break towards their two Test series against the West Indies in the Caribbean. In the second Test match in Sabina Park, Smith steered Australia to a first innings score of 399, where he made 199 and became the eighth man in Test history to be dismissed on 199. Australia later won the match in positive fashion, beating the West Indies by 277 runs within four days and retained the Frank Worrell Trophy. After his man of the match effort against the West Indies in the second Test, Smith became the second-youngest player ever to reach the number 1 ICC Test batsmen ranking and just the eighth Australian to do so.

The 2–0 victory against the West Indies gave Australia some momentum into the long-awaited Ashes series in the British Isles. While Australia's last Ashes tour was in 2013, the emergence of England's Joe Root and Australia's Steve Smith saw an awaited clash to determine the better batsman in the upcoming series. In the second Test in Lord's, Smith produced 215 runs in his first innings, his highest Test score and became the first Australian to score a double-ton at Lord's since the Second World War. His double century also made Smith pass 3000 Test runs, the third-youngest Australia to reach the feat. In his second innings he made 58 runs before Australia levelled the series in a 405 run rout.

England within three days regained the Ashes and took an unassailable 3–1 lead and critics began to question Smith's performances in seaming conditions. Into the fifth and final Test match back at The Oval, Smith made his second century in the series registering 143 runs off 252 balls before being bowled. Australia later defeated England by an innings and 46 runs. However, England regained the Ashes 3–2 after winning in Nottingham in early August and later saw the Test retirements of Australia's senior players: Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers and later Shane Watson, Ryan Harris and Brad Haddin. Overall, Smith made 508 runs at an average of 56.44, the most runs scored in the series.

The retirement of Michael Clarke following Australia's 3–2 defeat in the 2015 Ashes series saw Smith appointed as the full-time captain of the Australian Test and ODI teams. Fellow New South Welshman David Warner was appointed as his vice-captain. Next followed a three Test home series against New Zealand. During the second Test, Smith scored 27 in the first innings before breaking the shackles with 138 in the second innings. This was Smith's first-ever second innings century; all previous centuries having been scored in the first innings of a Test match. Australia went on to draw the second Test. Shortly after the series against New Zealand, a three Test series was to be held against the West Indies. The second Test was successful for the captain, scoring 134* and 70* in each respective innings, as Australia went on to seal a series victory.

A two Test return tour against New Zealand took place in February 2016. Smith looked to be in fine touch, registering 71, 138, and 53* in the three innings in which he batted, as the Australian team won 2–0. Smith then led the Australian Cricket Team on their tour of Sri Lanka. The three Test series was a disaster for the Aussies, losing 3–0. Smith was Australia's highest run scorer in the series, scoring 247 runs at an average of 41, including one century and one fifty. Australia's disappointing run of form continued into their ODI tour of South Africa. They lost the first 3 matches, largely attesting to their young bowling attack's inability to contain a strong South African batting line-up. Smith was disappointing in output across the first two ODIs, before scoring 108 off 107 balls in the 3rd match, as he and David Warner helped Australia to 371.

After the Test series against South Africa, New Zealand played 3 ODIs in between the two Test series against South Africa and Pakistan. In the first ODI, Steve Smith registered 164 runs at the SCG, marking the highest ODI score at the ground, beating the previous score of 162 set by AB De Villiers during the 2015 World Cup. He was awarded "man of the match". In the second ODI he made 72 runs and in Melbourne of the final ODI he was dismissed for a duck. The Australian team won the contested Chappell–Hadlee Trophy 3–0 and returned the trophy to Australia.

Pakistan was scheduled to have three Test series and 5 ODIs. In the first Test in Brisbane, Smith made 130 and 63 runs. His century in Brisbane marked his 16th Test century and his first against Pakistan. The second Test match was held at the MCG and Smith later placed his seventeenth century, the fourth-fastest to do so and also reaching 1000 runs in the calendar year—his third consecutive achievement of this since 2014. Despite intermittent rain, Australia managed an unlikely victory into the last session of day five, resulting in a 2–0 win for Australia. The final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground marked Steve Smith's 50th Test match, as Australia whitewashed Pakistan 3–0. Following the victory, he was awarded "Man of the Series" after making a total of 441 runs.

Following the training at ICC's Cricket Academy Centre in Dubai, Smith began the tour of India with a century in their maiden warm-up match in Mumbai. He replicated his ton in the first Test in Pune where he produced his first century in the Indian Subcontinent, accompanied by the support of his bowlers to win their first Test match in India since 2004 and breaking India's 19 match undefeated streak, stretching back from 2012. Veteran commentators and Indian Media rated Smith's third innings hundred at Pune as one of the best ever by a visiting player in India. The Wisden described Smith's ton as an impossible hundred on a minefield of a pitch at Pune where all other batsman from both sides struggled to get a decent score. In the 3rd Test match in Ranchi, which is the first-ever Test match hosted at this venue, Steve Smith scored yet another century, 178 not out. This is the third-highest score by an Australian cricketer in Test matches played in India and the highest by an Australian Captain.

In June 2017, Smith was named as captain for Australia's 2-Test tour of Bangladesh. In the first Test at Brisbane, Smith scored the first century of the series, 141*, which was his 21st Test century in his 105th innings—making him the third-quickest to score 21 Test centuries behind Donald Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar. In December 2017, Smith scored 239 in the final Ashes match at the WACA Ground. He was quick to score his 22nd century at the WACA, his century coming from 138 balls, including sixteen fours and a six, before he converted that into a career-best 239. It was his second double-hundred and his first as captain. Coming in at 2/65 before lunch on a rain affected day four, Smith batted until the closure of play on day five and scored yet another century, finishing with a defiant 102* from 275 deliveries to guide Australia to a draw and denying England of its first victory in Australia since 2011. In the fourth Ashes test at Melbourne, Smith continued his prodigious form when he scored 76 in the first innings.

In 2015 Smith was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) and ICC Test Player of the Year award and named in ICC Test Team of the Year and ICC ODI Team of the Year by the ICC. In the same year, he also received the Allan Border Medal, Australian Test Player of the Year and Australian One Day International Player of the Year award. He was also named in the Test XI of the year 2015 by ESPNcricinfo. Smith concluded the 2017 calendar year with six centuries and three fifties, along with an average of 76.76 and a total of 1,305 runs, the highest of any player that year. During the final Ashes match in Sydney, Smith reached the milestone of 6,000 Test runs in 111 innings, becoming the equal second-fastest player.

In 2017 Smith was awarded the ICC Test Player of the Year award and named in the ICC Test Team of the Year by the ICC. In February 2018 he received the Allan Border Medal and Australian Test Player of the Year award. Smith was rested for the T20 series against New Zealand and England so he could prepare for the South African Test series. The series was marred by controversial incidents on and off field. Australia won the first Test by 118 runs with Smith making scores of 56 and 38 runs. The result was overshadowed by a stairwell confrontation between Australian vice captain David Warner and South African wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock. Footage emerged showing Warner having to be physically restrained after words were spoken between the two - allegedly over comments made about Warner's wife Candice and the Rugby League player, Sonny Bill Williams.

Australia lost by 322 runs in the third Test, with Smith barely contributing to the score. However, the match result was overshadowed by illegal ball tampering by players of the Australian team on the third day. Cameron Bancroft, the second-youngest and most inexperienced member of the team, was captured by television cameras surreptitiously using sandpaper to rough up the cricket ball. He then hid the sandpaper in his underwear before being confronted by the on-field umpires. When attending the press conference at the conclusion of the third day's play with Bancroft, Smith admitted that the "leadership group" of the team discussed tampering with the ball to influence the result of the match during the lunch break.

Smith and vice-captain David Warner stood down from the team leadership the morning after the incident, but still played on, and wicketkeeper Tim Paine took over as interim captain for the rest of the Test match. Subsequently, match referee Andy Pycroft for the ICC banned Smith for one Test match and fined him 100% of his match fee. He handed Bancroft three demerit points and fined him 75% of his match fee. Cricket Australia launched an independent investigation, charging Smith with bringing the game into disrepute. He was suspended and sent home from the tour.

Smith arrived in Sydney on 29 March. In a press conference at Sydney Airport, a tearful Smith started by saying that he had nothing to add to Cricket Australia's report. He said that as captain of the Australian cricket team, he took full responsibility (even though he did not devise the plan to change the condition of the ball or actually perform the act), and that he had made a serious error in judgement: "It was a failure of leadership, my leadership."

In April 2019, he was named in Australia's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. After missing the 2018/19 season, Smith was awarded a national contract by Cricket Australia for the 2019–20 season. On 1 June 2019, Smith played in Australia's opening match of the Cricket World Cup, against Afghanistan, at the County Ground in Bristol. On 11 July 2019, in the semi-final match against England Smith scored 85 runs, becoming the second batsman after Sachin Tendulkar to score four 50+ scores in Cricket World Cup knockouts. In July 2019, he was named in Australia's squad for the 2019 Ashes series in England. In the first Test at Edgbaston, Smith scored centuries in both innings, his ninth and tenth Ashes centuries and his 24th and 25th overall. Smith's first innings hundred was hailed as one of his finest ever by British Media as he was returning from a year-long suspension and was batting with the tail for a large part of his innings under tricky conditions.

In the first innings of the second Test, his innings was interrupted on 80, when he was hit by a 148.7 km/h ball on the left side of his neck, under the ear from Jofra Archer. He later returned to complete his innings after passing the concussion tests and was out, lbw, for 92. On 18 August 2019, the final day of the Test, Smith was replaced by Marnus Labuschagne, after further tests showed he had actually suffered concussion due to the blow the previous day. Therefore, Labuschagne became the first player to become a concussion substitute in a Test match following a change in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) rule.

In the first innings of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Smith scored his third double-century in Test matches and third century in the series and became the first batsman to score 500 or more runs in three successive Ashes series. Steve Smith registered his tenth consecutive Ashes fifty-plus score in the first innings of the fifth Test, breaking Inzamam Ul Haq's record for the most consecutive Test 50+ scores against a single opposition. He finished the series with 774 runs at an average of 110.57, by far the most on either side. Smith made 3 hundreds and 3 fifties. He was awarded his second consecutive Compton–Miller Medal as the man of the series.

In contrast to the preceding Ashes tour, Smith made little contribution with the bat throughout the test series against Pakistan, scoring 4 and 36 in the first and second matches respectively. Despite this, Australia went on to win the Test series 2–0, winning both matches by an innings margin. During the second test match of the series at Adelaide, Smith overtook Donald Bradman as the 11th highest run scorer for Australia in tests. Smith also became the fastest test batsman to score 7,000 test runs in his 126th innings, bettering the 73-year-old record of Walter Hammond.

India's tour began with a 3-match ODI series. In the first match in Sydney, Smith Smith brought up his hundred off 62 deliveries, the third fastest by an Australian[318] and finished with 105 runs off 66 balls. Smith made a second century in the second match at Sydney, again requiring only 62 deliveries. He was dismissed on 104 from 64 deliveries. Smith and Labuschagne put on a 136-run partnership. Australia won the match by 51 runs, and Smith was again awarded Player of the Match for his performance. Australia won the series 2–1. Smith was awarded Player of the Series for his efforts.

Smith's poor form for his standards continued as he scored 1 and 1* in the opening Test of the Border–Gavaskar Trophy in Adelaide, Australia winning the match after bowling India out for 36. Smith was able to break his 14-innings century drought since the 2019 Ashes at his home ground in Sydney with a 226-ball 131 in the first innings. He followed that up with a 167-ball 81 in the third innings, helping to set India a target of 407 in the fourth innings. The match ended in a draw.

Smith performed well against Pakistan, averaging 56.50 in 4 innings and achieving a top score of 78, but did not manage to fully take advantage of the "dead" and "benign" pitch at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium during the first test, unlike his Pakistani contemporaries. During the series, Smith had also become the fastest man to reach 8,000 test runs, achieving it in 151 innings, one less than the previous title holder, Kumar Sangakkara and three innings faster than Sachin Tendulkar. Smith was also the first person to achieve this feat with a batting average over 60, reaching 8,000 test runs with a 60.1 average at the time.

During the second test against Sri Lanka, Smith scored 145 runs from 272 balls and remained not out. This was his first century since January 2021; a time span of 547 days, as well as being his 28th Test century. In October 2022, Smith was named in the Australian ODI squad for the three-match home ODI series.[372] He scored 195 runs including two half centuries in 3 matches at an average of 97.50 as Australia won the series in a 3–0 whitewash. In November 2022, he was named in the Australia Test squad for the series against the West Indies. In the first Test in Perth, Smith scored 200 not out from 311 deliveries, his fourth double-century in his Test career.

In December 2022, Smith was named in Australia's Test squad as the vice-captain for their home series against South Africa. In the third Test, on 5 January 2023, he scored 104 runs and moved past Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke to become the fourth highest Australian Test run-scorer. This was also his 30th Test century, the equal third most by an Australian. In January 2024, following Warner's Test retirement, Smith was named by Chief Selector George Bailey to open the batting for first time in Test cricket. Smith had success previously opening the batting in the IPL, BBL and for Australia in T20Is and ODI warm up matches. Starting against the West Indies. In December 2024, Smith overtook Steve Waugh for 2nd most Test centuries for Australia, scoring his 33rd 100 in the 3rd Test at the Gabba.

In January 2025, Smith needed 38 runs to join the elite 10,000 Test Runs Club at his home ground, the SCG, in the New Years Test. Smith however failed to reach the mark in either innings. He was dismissed for 33 runs in his 1st innings, and 4 runs in his 2nd innings. In the 1st Test at Galle, Smith as captain, won the toss and elected to bat. He reached 10,000 Test runs by a scoring a single on the first delivery he faced, and went on to score his 35th Test century, his 16th Test century as captain of Australia. He scored 141 runs from 251 deliveries. Australia made 6-654 before Smith declared, and Australia bowled Sri Lanka all out for 165 runs in their 1st innings. Smith enforced the follow-on during the first session on day four and Australia bowled Sri Lanka all out again during the second session, with Australia winning by an innings and 242 runs.

In February 2025, in the 2nd Test, at the same venue in Galle, Smith broke both fielding and batting records for Australia. He first equalled and then overtook Ricky Ponting's record of 196 Test catches for the most catches by an Australian in Test cricket, with 197 catches in 116 Test matches. Then Smith became Australia's leading Test run-scorer in Asia, and also broke the record for most Test centuries in Asia by an Australian, scoring his 36th Test century, his 4th Test century his last five test matches. Australia ended up winning by 9 wickets and winning the series 2-nil, marking Australia's first Test series victory in Sri Lanka since 2011. Smith was named player of the series, with 272 runs at an average of 136.00 across the two tests.

In February 2025, following Pat Cummins withdrawal from the Champions Trophy squad, it was announced Smith would captain the team, after having captained in the last edition of the tournament, the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. After Australia's loss to India in the Semi Final of the ICC Champions Trophy, Smith announced his retirement from ODI cricket. In his final ODI innings, Smith scored 73 runs from 96 deliveries. In May 2025, Smith was named as Australia test vice-captain for the 2025 ICC World Test Championship final and the tour of West Indies cricket team.

As of April 2025, Smith has made a total of 52 first-class centuries, 15 List A centuries and 4 T20 centuries. Of these, 36 of his first-class centuries were scored in Test matches and 12 of his List A centuries scored in One Day Internationals. His best bowling figures (7/64) were taken for New South Wales against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield. He was the youngest player to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year award) - Fastest batsman after Donald Bradman (68 Innings) to reach 25 test centuries (119 Innings) - Fifth player to win the Allan Border Medal more than once - First cricketer to win the McGilvray Medal four times - Named as the inaugural ICC Test cricketer of the decade, for the 2010s - Third player to win the Allan Border Medal four times, a record alongside former captains Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke.