“Steve Smith is a World Class Replacement” – Robin Singh

Banned Australian cricketer Steve Smith could soon get some action soon. As it turns out, he is likely to play for the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League. However, the contract still needs to be approved by the CPL’s tournament committee. The signing will likely take place by this week. Smith has been drafted as a replacement for Shakib al-Hasan.

The former Australia captain is in the middle of a turbulent spell in his career. In March, he and vice-captain, David Warner were banned for their involvement in a ball-tampering scandal. The incident tarnished Australian cricket’s reputation significantly. Last month, Smith returned to competitive cricket representing the Toronto Nationals. West Indian, Darren Sammy led the Canadian side in the inaugural edition of the Global Canada T20.

The New South Wales cricketer scored 167 runs in six matches at an average of 33.40 during the tournament. He also scored half-centuries against the Vancouver Knights and the Windies B team.

On the other end of the spectrum, Warner will also make his debut in the CPL. He will be playing for the St Lucia Stars this season. As of now, Warner is playing for the City Cyclones in the NT Strike League.

The third member of the ball-tampering scandal, Cameron Bancroft, is representing the Desert Blaze in the same tournament. The opening match of the CPL is set to be played between the Trinbago Knight Riders and the St Lucia Stars.

“It is a huge blow to lose Shakib for the tournament but in Steve Smith we have a truly world class replacement who can help bring power to our batting lineup” said coach Robin Singh.

The Knight Riders are the defending champions and will be hoping to pick up from where they left off last season. It is more than likely that Warner and Smith will be on opposite ends when the Stars and Tridents face each other on August 17. The match will be played at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia.