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Why Smith turned his back on England

Test skipper reveals how he shunned a lucrative offer to ditch his Baggy Green dream and declare for Ashes rival

Australia captain Steve Smith has opened up on arguably the biggest 'sliding doors' moment of his career, admitting he could have "just as easily" played for England or even New Zealand.

Smith, a dual Australian-British passport holder thanks to his London-born mother Gillian, insists he never seriously considered turning his back on his native country.

But in his new autobiography The Journey, he reveals that if money had been a bigger motivator he could have been playing alongside the likes of Joe Root and Stuart Broad, instead of David Warner and Mitchell Starc, for the upcoming Magellan Ashes series.

Having made the decision to ditch his final year of school to play league cricket in the United Kingdom as a teenager, Smith caught the eye of county sides with his sharp leg-breaks and lower-order batting.

Image Id: 4A8B20B79B314F69A4E2F22E34899D4C Image Caption: An 18-year-old Smith bats in a T20 for NSW in 2008 // Getty

His first trip to England had been with a Cricket New South Wales development squad featuring one of his closest friends Sam Robson, an opening batsman who grew up in Australia but would go on to play Test cricket for England.

And after a series of impressive performances for Surrey's second XI, Smith soon found himself with a decision to make that would have a huge bearing on his professional career.


"I had to decide whether I wanted to press on with ambition to play for New South Wales and, ultimately, Australia or throw in my lot with English county side Surrey and pursue the possibility of playing international cricket for England," Smith wrote.

"The Surrey club was aware of my status as a British passport holder and so I received a call from Alan Butcher, the former England opening batsman and father of fellow England international Mark Butcher, with the offer of the three-year deal.

"It was a lot of money to potentially throw at an 18-year-old and I'd never conceived of such a large amount in my life.

"If it had been about money then it would have been no contest. 

"Surrey were offering me a three-year deal worth around £30,000 per year while my first rookie contract with Cricket NSW netted me around AUD$12,000.

"But I had my heart set on playing state and international cricket in Australia – that was where I'd grown up and where I'd learnt my cricket – so although the chance to play in and possibly for, England was an option, it wasn't one I seriously entertained. 

"Once the initial shock passed it wasn't a tough decision to turn it down. 

"… I knocked it back, a decision I've not regretted for a moment. 

"It was another fork in the road, just like when I left school and although the financial security would have been great, the fact I burnt that bridge actually made me work harder when I returned to Australia for the following season."

'Best lead-in for an Ashes we've ever had'

The rest, as they say, is history.

After an Australian Institute of Sport tour of India, Smith returned for the beginning of the 2007-08 season and made his debut for NSW in all three formats that summer.

Within three years he'd received his Baggy Green and in an intriguing twist of fate, Smith - following a few years finding his feet at international level - struck his maiden Test century at The Oval, the home ground of Surrey. 

Image Id: 9ADA750B9F1543C2B343A7A3098E111C Image Caption: Smith celebrates his maiden Test ton at The Oval in 2013 // Getty

While his ties to England have been well-documented, Smith also disclosed a lesser-known link with New Zealand, having moved there when he was young.

"There's also a New Zealand connection in our lives, as we moved to Torbay near Auckland when I was one," Smith wrote. 

"Dad managed a sales office there for Dussek Campbell, the company created by the merger of Campbell Technical Waxes and Dussek Brothers.

"You could say that had things turned out differently, I could just as easily have been playing for New Zealand as Australia, or even for England."

2017-18 International Fixtures:

Magellan Ashes Series

First Test Gabba, November 23-27. Buy tickets

Second Test Adelaide Oval, December 2-6 (Day-Night). Buy tickets

Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Buy tickets

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Buy tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Buy tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Buy tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Buy tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Buy tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Buy tickets

Fifth ODI Perth TBC, January 28. Join the ACF

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Buy tickets

Gillette T20 INTL Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Buy tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Buy tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Buy tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 13

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21