Australia captain Steve Smith has made it clear that he has no set end date for his career, despite being one of the oldest players in the Australian squad for the fifth and final Ashes Test. Smith, 36, continues to enjoy playing the game and is determined to keep contributing to his team's success. As the Ashes series heads towards its conclusion, Smith's future remains up in the air, with the 2027 Ashes in England looming large.

When asked if he would still be playing in 2027, Smith remained non-committal, focusing instead on taking things "day-by-day" and "series-by-series." The veteran batsman, who has played 122 Tests and scored over 10,000 runs, stated that he’s still feeling strong and enjoying his cricket.

"I’ve said it for a while, I’m taking it day-by-day, series-by-series, and we’ll see where things land," Smith explained. "I feel like I’m doing alright at the moment, I’m enjoying it, I’m contributing, and having fun. So there’s no real end date for me."

Smith, who will be the oldest member of the Australian squad for the fifth Test following the retirement of Usman Khawaja and Nathan Lyon’s injury, emphasized that he wants to continue playing for as long as he feels he can contribute.

"I think with obviously Usman dropping off, he’s one of our experienced players, so it probably wouldn’t be ideal if him and I went out this week, for instance," Smith said. "So no, I want to keep playing."

On the topic of Usman Khawaja, who announced his retirement after the Sydney Test, Smith paid tribute to his long-time teammate. Khawaja, 39, brought an end to his career following a historic journey that began at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2011, also against England. While Smith acknowledged Khawaja's contributions, he declined to delve into the controversy Khawaja raised about racial stereotyping during his career.

Khawaja had previously spoken about the criticism he faced for playing golf before the Perth Test, which led to back spasms that prevented him from batting. He suggested that the media and former players' reaction was rooted in racial stereotypes, a claim that Smith did not want to elaborate on.

"I’m not going into the mind of Usman Khawaja," Smith said when asked about the claims. "But I think he’s always prepared the same way, he’s worked hard, and I think some of the stuff around him getting injured when he played golf the day before the game, that was unfair. He’s done that for 15 years and had a pretty good career."

With the final Ashes Test in Sydney approaching, Smith revealed that Australia’s team selection could depend on the condition of the pitch. While Australia has already secured the Ashes with a 3-1 series lead, Smith said they are still eyeing a 4-1 series win and stressed the importance of the World Test Championship points up for grabs.

"We could play a couple of all-rounders, could play a spinner, could play no spinner," Smith said. "We’ll figure it out once we see the surface and see which way we want to go about it."

Australia has had a dominant series so far, winning emphatically in Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide. Despite England’s hard-fought victory in Melbourne—their first Test win in Australia in 15 years—Smith emphasized that Australia is not taking their foot off the pedal.

"With the World Test Championship, every game is important," Smith said. "Hopefully, we can turn it around here, win this series 4-1, and now, more importantly, just win a Test in the World Test Championship cycle."

As Australia prepares for the final Test, Smith's focus remains on finishing strong, ensuring the team performs at their best and securing valuable points for the World Test Championship, while continuing to enjoy his cricket.