Steve Smith to play for Barbados Tridents in CPL 2018

Smith recently participated in the inaugural season of Canada GT20 league which marked his return in competitive cricket since getting banned

Banned cricketer and former Australian skipper Steve Smith is all set to make his entry in the forthcoming edition of Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Smith has been signed by the Barbados Tridents will be replacing the Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who is no longer available for selection. The CPL confirmed the news on social media by sharing his photo on their official Twitter handle.

BREAKING NEWS : Steve Smith joins @BIMTridents for #CPL18 Welcome to the party @stevesmith49 Read more https://t.co/fWm4O0g0hN #BiggestPartyInSport pic.twitter.com/lcRCWJiZ4R

— CPL T20 (@CPL) July 25, 2018

Barbados coach Robin Singh seemed happy on Smith's inclusion. He said,

"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 to bring power to our batting line-up. As a man who has played cricket at the highest level all over the world, we are very confident that Smith will be a big success with the Tridents.”

 

Smith recently participated in the inaugural season of Canada GT20 league which marked his return in competitive cricket since getting banned for his role in the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town in March. 

Smith played six matches for Toronto Nationals in the Global Canada T20 league in July, scoring 167 runs at 33.40 and a strike rate of 119.28.

On the other hand, David Warner will also participate in the tournament. He has been signed up by the St Lucia Stars for the upcoming season.

The tournament will get underway on 8 August, with Barbados beginning their campaign against Guyana Amazon Warriors on 11 August. The tournament will go on till 16 September.