Final frontier: Smith and ageing Test team vow to complete unfinished business away from home

Much as the 2005 Ashes defeat kept their legendary forebears together until a blazing 5-0 revenge mission two years later, Steve Smith and his ageing teammates have committed to making collective amends for fumbled trips to India and England in 2023.That much was clear when selection chair George Bailey formally unveiled the squad for two Tests against Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay next month, with only one player – all-rounder Cameron Green, 27 – under the age of 30.Steve Smith walks off the SCG after a century in the 2025/26 Ashes.Getty ImagesGames against a Bangladesh side that just lost a Test match by an innings to Zimbabwe would appear the ideal time to choose some more youthful players. But Bailey made it clear that this was more like a roll call of Australia’s frontline men for difficult tours to India (no Australian series wins since 2004), England (none since 2001) and South Africa (none since 2014).This quest is personified by Smith, who clearly wants to cap his international career by breaking the aforementioned droughts, including by continuing to substitute for captain Pat Cummins whenever required. Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and company were similarly motivated.“I can’t foresee that changing in the short-term,” Bailey said of Smith’s deputy role. “In my conversations with him over the last few months, I don’t think I’ve seen him as excited or invigorated around the opportunities and challenges, in particular, this Test team have over the next period of time.“For a number of those guys that have played a lot of Test cricket and are at certain stages of their career, you look at some of the series that are coming up and what the opportunities are for this Test team to achieve. It probably comes as no surprise as to how excited and focused they are.“So, yeah, I’ve actually been really quite excited by how pumped Steve is, how much thought and time he’s putting into to what’s coming up. I fully expect him to be a major part of it and looking forward to seeing how those really big, key series [provide] a chance to really lay down a marker across a number of different conditions as well. That’s exciting for everyone, but in particular for him.”As was often said in 2023, Australia’s high-performing Test side cannot be considered great without overseas series wins in India and England. South Africa, too, is the source of much intrigue given the ugly events of the previous Test tour there in 2018.Four years ago, Australia had genuine opportunities to beat India away before losing the series 2-1, and should have skipped away to a 3-0 margin over England after as many Tests, only to finish 2-2. David Warner and Usman Khawaja have since retired, but Smith, Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland will all look at this cycle as the final chance to redress things.“There’ll be moments out of those series where they look back and wish that things could have gone differently,” Bailey said. “But there are great things that they would have learnt out of that.“They’re constantly trying to get better, and they’re constantly asking questions, particularly around some of those places that do provide different challenges around how they can be better and how they can make the entire team better the next time that we get that opportunity.”Scott Boland received his baggy green cap from Josh Hazlewood before the third Test against England at the MCG in 2021.Getty ImagesBoland’s durability has seen him step up for both Hazlewood and Cummins in recent times, and Bailey made it clear that he had now made a case to be one of the first three quick bowlers chosen.“Scotty would never say it, but he’s mounting a strong case that when you use the words ‘the Big Three’ that he could be one of those,” Bailey said.For now, the selectors have a full complement of their first-choice bowlers available, but Bailey also acknowledged how important all-rounders Beau Webster and Green would be in sharing the load.“The fact they both can bowl will be important at different times across the next 18 months,” Bailey said of the pair.Australia may make some left-field selection choices around Test assignments, with white-ball series against South Africa, Zimbabwe and even England likely to see numerous multi-format players rested, while other younger squad members may be sent to India to play for Australia A ahead of next year’s five Tests.“It will be about identifying some periods between Test series and white-ball series over the next 18 to 24 months, where you can maybe invest a bit back into the body and mind to stay fresh,” Bailey said.“I don’t think the 11 will be the same across each of the next 21 Tests and there will be changes, and for some of them our hand will be forced.”News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.From our partners