T20 World Cup 2022: "I think that is it for him now" - Aakash Chopra feels Steve Smith's T20I career might be over

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra feels that Steve Smith's T20I career might be done and dusted after he failed to make an impact in Australia's final Super 12 encounter against Afghanistan on Friday, November 4.

The former Australian skipper has always been an anomaly when it comes to the shortest format.

The star batter played the role of an anchor when he was part of the team, but with Mitchell Marsh's success at the No. 3 spot, Smith had to move to the sidelines.

Australia XI: David Warner, Cameron Green, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (c/wk), Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood #T20WorldCup

The stacked middle order of Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, and Tim David made it difficult for Smith to break through. He was not considered for selection in any of the Super 12 matches until the one against Afghanistan, where he was named among one of the three changes in the playing XI.

Noting that this might be the end of the road for Smith in T20Is, Chopra said on his YouTube channel:

"Steve Smith is not a rockstar of T20 cricket, we all got to know that once again and I think that is it for him now. Maybe we won't be seeing Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, and Matthew Wade playing T20Is for Australia anymore. They definitely will not be there for the next World Cup, if they will be, I will be very surprised."

Smith was dismissed for just four runs against Afghanistan at the Adelaide Oval. He was trapped in front after he failed to connect with an incoming Naveen-ul-Haq delivery.

"A very ordinary campaign for Australia" - Aakash Chopra

Coming into the tournament, Australia were deemed the favorites to win the trophy, being the hosts as well as the defending champions.

However, the tournament has not panned out for the Aussies as they would have hoped. They began their campaign with a shock 89-run loss to New Zealand, which massively dented their net run rate.

A narrow win for Australia keeps their net run rate in the negative! 👀

If England beat Sri Lanka tomorrow, the hosts would miss a semi-final spot 😯

#T20WorldCup 2022 Standings 👉 t20worldcup.com/standings

#AUSvAFG https://t.co/Iw3C8xEfRf

Opining that Australia would have been in even more trouble had Gulbadin Naib not been run-out, Chopra said:

"168 was not a great total at Adelaide. Had Gulbadin naib not been run out, the story would have been a little different for Afghanistan. "

Summing up Australia's T20 World Cup 2022 campaign, Chopra added:

Australia managed to defeat Afghanistan by only four runs, suffered a heavy defeat against New Zealand and their only sort of a good performance came against Ireland. So, all in all, a very ordinary campaign for Australia."

Afghanistan came agonizingly close to defeating Australia in their own backyard but fell short by a mere four runs. Death-over heroics from Rashid Khan went in vain as Australia claimed two crucial points to barely cling on to their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals.

Will Steve Smith be considered for T20Is in the future by the selectors and management? Let us know what you think.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022: "The biggest issue for England is that the pitch might favor Sri Lanka" - Aakash Chopra on the final Group 1 Super 12 encounter