It’s been three months since Steven Smith played cricket for the last time. Facing a one-year suspension for his involvement in the ball-tampering fiasco, the Australian batsman is back into the circuit, courtesy the Global T20 Canada League.
Smith, who will feature in the tournament — which begins from Thursday — reached Toronto late on Monday night and is expected to hit the training ground.
One of the marquee players of the tournament, Smith has been picked by the Toronto Nationals. This, interestingly, will be Smith’s first assignment since the suspension in March. While the cricketer is excited to return to the fold, the organisers too are excited to have Smith around.
“We are excited and happy the way things are going. With top players (like Smith) in participation, the league will certainly start with a bang,” Cricket Canada chief, Ranjit Saini, told Sportstar.
Saini also admitted that with top cricketers like Shahid Afridi and Smith featuring in the tournament, the enthusiasm has also gone up. While the local fans are looking forward to attending the games, the fans across the world too are keeping an eye on the inaugural edition of the tournament.
Smith, on his part, will be hoping to make this opportunity count. From being one of the sought after cricketers, the ball-tampering saga had jeopardised the Australian batsman’s career, and now, he would be hoping to stage a comeback.