Sports
American Major League cricket attracts top Australian players
Steve Smith has often shown his affection for the US (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images for Cricket … [+]
When it became clear that American Major League Cricket had influential and wealthy backing, with a large salary cap for the six teams to lure top players from around the world, there was an expectation that an Australian superstar would eventually be lured.
Steve Smith, one of the greatest ever cricketers and former Australia captain, has not been shy about professing his love for the US, where he and his wife Dani announced their engagement in 2017.
He has an apartment in New York and notably spent some time there during his year-long suspension for cheating, where he was infamously photographed by the Australian tabloids while sitting alone in a bar in Manhattan.
The flirtation started well before MLC launched last July. The US has been a market that crickets have been trying to get into for a while now. So yeah, I think it would be interesting to see how it goes,” Smith said in 2022.
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Steve Smith during the MLB regular season game Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets at Citi Field in May … [+]
Smith was unable to play in the MLC's glittering opening season due to Australia's Ashes tour of England, but he has been confirmed in the upcoming second edition as a major boost for a tournament hoping to build on the back of a successful debut.
Smith will play for Washington Freedom, where he will team up with World Cup-winning teammates Travis Head, a cult favorite among his Australian compatriots, and explosive batsman Glenn Maxwell. He will play under legendary Australian batsman Ricky Ponting, who will coach a Freedom side that lost to eventual champions MI New York in the play-offs last season.
While Smith is not a great T20 batsman – he may not even make the squad for the Australian squad at the upcoming World Cup co-hosted by the US – the 34-year-old remains one of cricket's headliners and biggest names.
There aren't many better-known current cricketers, with Smith adding to the appeal of the MLC, which has invested more than $100 million, helped by influential Indian businessmen, some of whom are in Silicon Valley.
Smith is part of a growing bond between the MLC and Australian cricket. Cricket New South Wales – Smith's home state – has a “strategic” partnership with the Freedom franchise, while Cricket Victoria also has links with San Francisco Unicorns.
MLC is smartly working with two of the biggest cricketing powers, Australia and India. While England, the other power, watches warily as the MLC is played during the heart of the cricket season, Australia and India have embraced a professional T20 competition in the hope of breaking into the world's biggest sporting market.
Major League Cricket was a hit in its first season (AP Photo/LM Otero)
India's footprint is clearly visible with three MLC teams owned by Indian Premier League franchises. Their names are therefore remarkably familiar: Texas Super Kings (Chennai Super Kings), Los Angeles Knight Riders (Kolkata Knight Riders) and MI New York (Mumbai Indians).
But Indian megastars are not allowed to play in any T20 franchise league outside the billion-dollar IPL. Conversely, Australian players are allowed to jump on the T20 merry-go-round as long as it does not conflict with their international obligations.
Australia has an open schedule in July, so it's no surprise that a host of top players have taken the opportunity to sign up for the MLC.
But no one is more giddy than Steve Smith, whose long-held dream of playing in the US is about to become a reality.
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Sources 2/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/tristanlavalette/2024/04/21/americas-major-league-cricket-luring-top-australian-players/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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