From then though, the Test tour is packed with a minimum of 20 matches to be played until the return UK Ashes tour in the winter of 2027.
Australiaโs return to South Africa in September looms as a pivotal campaign for Smith given it is the first tour there since Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft served suspensions for the ball-tampering scandal of 2018.
A home summer of Tests against New Zealand, followed by a bumper five-Test tour of India in February, 2027, the 150th anniversary Test against England and the Ashes present as a legacy-defining period for this Australian generation.
The World Test Championship final will also fall before the 2027 Ashes, with Australia leading the standings after a surprise upset from South Africa in the decider of the last cycle.
โIโm just enjoying my cricket, itโs fun, I feel weโve got a really good team,โ Smith said.
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โThe team weโve had over the past three or four years, making two World Test Championship finals, different people have stood up at different times, itโs never been one or two people getting the job done, itโs been shared across.
โThatโs made us a really good team, so itโs been good to be a part of and as an older player now, hopefully I can help some of the players coming through and help teach them the game of Test cricket. Thatโs my role now.โ
Smith said on Saturday morning that a final decision is yet to be made on Australiaโs XI for the fifth Test, with team hierarchy wanting another look at the SCG wicket.
Spinner Todd Murphyโs chances of playing a long-awaited home Test will hinge on how the deck presents, with Greenโs summer also putting his spot under pressure from fellow all-rounder Beau Webster.
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