Steve Smith will aid cricket’s latest attempt to sell itself in the United States, a lucrative market that has proven laboriously hard to crack.
The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has taken three T/20 games to Florida this season, having hosted fixtures in Lauderhill since 2016.
Smith who is currently serving a 12-month ban in the wake of the Cape Town cheating scandal, is part of Cricket Australia’s (CA) push for the US to host a major tournament, most likely a world T/20 competition, during the next cycle that starts in 2023.
Ironically, growing the game in the world’s third-most populous nation and largest economy has been a long-term goal of both CA and the international cricket council (ICC).
North America is already Cricket Australia’s third-biggest overseas television market, reflecting its immense potential.