England Star Reverses Red-Ball Retirement, Makes Significant U-Turn

England batter Will Smeed, who gave up red-ball cricket in 2022 to focus exclusively on white-ball cricket, has made a U-turn and has signed an all-format deal with Somerset for the upcoming domestic season. 

Smeed gave up red-ball cricket at the age of 21 in what was seen as a groundbreaking move back then. He has since been a T20 globetrotter and has represented a multitude of sides, including MI Emirates (ILT20), Quetta Gladiators (PSL), St Kitts and Nevis Patriots (CPL) and Pretoria Capitals (SA20). 

However, things did not go fully according to plan for Smeed, who averaged 23.78 in 2023 and a mere 19.00 from 14 games in 2024. 

He’s had a much better start to 2025 - 128 runs @ 32.00 and 139.1 - and he is keen to build on it by strengthening his foundation by playing all formats. 

 “I’m desperate to play more cricket than I did last summer,” Smeed said in a release.

“I picked up an injury last summer, and it felt like I hadn’t really played any cricket. I played a few Second XI red ball games towards the end of last year and really enjoyed it. That’s when I started to think that this would be a good option.

“Watching how the team went about things in the Championship last year was great, and some of the wins were absolutely insane. It would be crazy not to want to be a part of that team.”

Speaking of Smeed’s decision, Somerset Director of Cricket Andy Hurry said, “We all know Will has a huge amount of potential, and his return to multi-day cricket will certainly add depth to our County Championship batting options.

“When he initially signed a white ball contract, he always made it clear that the door was not closed to the red ball game, and I know our Members and supporters will be excited by the prospect of him now being available to be considered for selection in all formats for the Club that he loves.”