Australian veteran Steven Smith has conceded that making a break into the T20I team for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will be no cakewalk. Even as he admits to the challenge, the experienced star is not ready to give up on his Olympic dream. 

Cricket returns to the Olympics in 2028, over a century after its sole stint at the 1900 Games. Since the announcement, Smith has made no secret of his ambition to play for Australia on one of the sport's largest stages worldwide. 

By the time the Games roll around, the right-handed batsman will be 39, but he is still hoping to battle it out for a spot on the podium and pen another chapter in his remarkable career. 

Here is what Smith told Sky Sports:

"I mean, it is my goal to try and make that Olympic team at (LA)28. I think, you know, the team's doing pretty well at the moment, the Australian T20 team. So it's going to be tricky to get in there, but you know, just got to keep putting my best foot forward, and we'll never know," 

"Yeah, I mean, I've watched a lot of Olympics since I was a young kid and really enjoyed watching the Australian athletes go about it. So, you know, when I heard that cricket was going to be a part of it, I was like, that would be really cool to be involved," he added.

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Smith has played in several ICC tournaments and has battled some of the fiercest cricket rivalries during his long career. However, the opportunity to play in an event that has recognition outside of sports, the Olympic Games, is something which elates him. 

"So, you know, I've obviously played in, you know, lots of World Cups and Ashes and Border Gavaskar Trophy and things like that, but yeah, when this popped up, it was something new and another opportunity to represent your country on a world stage. So, yeah, it was like I'd love to be involved in that, but it's still a fair way away. So, we'll see," Smith said.

The seasoned Australian skipper, who walked out of ODIs after a gut-wrenching exit in the Champions Trophy, has not been a staple in Australia's T20I fraternity. His last appearance in the shortest format was in February 2024, when he was picked for the playing XI against New Zealand. Whether Smith will still be a part of the Australian team for next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka is to be seen.