Former Australian captain Steven Smith has replaced Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan in Barbados Tridents Squad for the upcoming season of Caribbean Premier League. CPL 2018 will kick-start on 8 August 2018 and the final match of the tournament will be played on September 16.
CPL 2018 will be Steve Smith second outing after Global Canada league since being handed a 12-month ban by Cricket Australia in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March this year. Steve Smith, who is still World No.1 Test batsman had returned to cricket earlier in the inaugural edition of Global T20 Canada League. In Canada T20 league Smith represented Toronto Nationals and scored 167 runs in 6 innings with the help of two fifties.
What great news for #CPL and all the fans! Welcome @stevesmith49 to the #BiggestPartyInSport https://t.co/UE5yam5yhV
— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) July 25, 2018
Talking about their decision to sign, star Australian cricketer Tridents coach Robin Singh 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 lineup. 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.”