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Australia's stalwart batter Steve Smith is not looking to bring the curtain down to his international career just like his compatriot David Warner after a busy cricketing calendar year.
Australia will face Pakistan in a three-match Test series which will kick off on December 14 in Perth. The series is shaping up to be Warner's farewell Test series as he previously stated his desire to retire from red-ball cricket in front of his home fans at the SCG. After a taxing year, the 34-year-old still has the desire and urge to play his best brand of cricket and while speaking to reporters he stated as quoted from ESPNcricinfo, "I'm not in any hurry to make any decisions." The right-handed batter further went on to state that he needed a break after the World Cup and added, "It's been a busy, busy year. I certainly needed a little break after the World Cup. It was good to have a week at home, and relax and refresh the mind and body as much as possible to get ready for this series." "But now I feel like I'm in a good place. I think the boys feel like they're in a good place and are keen to get out and play some red-ball cricket again," Smith stated. Apart from international cricket, Smith's busy year also saw him feature in six Big Bash League games and three County Championship matches for Sussex. "It can be challenging with quite a busy schedule, but any sort of moment you can get to have a few days or a week just to get away from the game and get your mental side back to a position where you can go out and perform internationally, it's important," Smith said. Australia squad for first Test, beginning December 14 in Perth: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Cameron Green, Lance Morris. Pakistan Squad: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi. (ANI)
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