Steve Smith is in, Smith is out, again Smith is in – Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has finally given the green signal to Comilla Victorians to sign banned Australian star for Bangladesh Premier League 2019.
Smith was initially picked as a replacement of Asela Gunaratne by Comilla Victorians after the players’ draft took place. A dilemma was created regarding his participation in the tournament after other franchises complained that Smith was not even listed in the draft. The franchises mentioned that picking a player outside from draft is against the laws. The BCB later took the decision to bar him from this edition.
The situation took another twist as BCB sent letter to other teams that Smith can play. The board has allowed all teams to pick only one player outside the draft list in BPL Governing Council’s recommendation.
Smith will be playing his first BPL along with his former Australian deputy David Warner, who will lead Sylhet Sixers. The 29-year-old played in Global T20 Canada for Toronto Nationals and in Caribbean Premier League for Barbados Tridents after he was handed one-year ban from Cricket Australia following Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.
The sixth edition of BPL will kick off on January 5. Comilla Victorians will face Sylhet Sixers in their first match on January 6.
