Banned batsman will give his earnings from Canadian tournament to sport's development
Smith to donate fee to grassroots
Steve Smith will donate his playing fee to grassroots cricket programs when he makes his cricket comeback in the Global T20 Canada League later this month.
Smith, who was suspended for 12 months for his role in the ball-tampering incident in Cape Town in March, was last week named as a marquee player in the tournament, having been approached to play by organisers, with Cricket Australia permitting him to play in domestic tournaments outside Australia.
Cricket.com.au understands the former Australia captain will donate to grassroots cricket both in Australia and also in Canada.
With the Global T20 League starting on June 28, Smith has resumed his training regimen in Sydney as he prepares to get himself match ready.
In addition to hours spent in the Sydney Cricket Ground nets – training with the help of father Peter – Smith has also enlisted the expertise of a fitness trainer, with pilates also added to his regular workout.
Smith has also commenced the 100 hours of community service required as part of his sanction from CA, working with an Australia-based male mental health charity.
Visited Menai High School today, the school of @steve_smith49. Thank you to Headmaster Barney Ellevsen for welcoming us & allowing us to talk @gotcha4life, vulnerability, being honest and owning our mistakes & learning from them with the students and staff. pic.twitter.com/afn9aF2qih— Gus Worland (@GusWorland) June 1, 2018
During his time in Canada, and as part of his deal with the tournament organisers, he will be involved in several community cricket initiatives – including training camps – to help promote the sport in the country.
The Global T20 League will consist of six teams, five representing Canadian cities – Edmonton Royals, Montreal Tigers, Toronto Nationals, Vancouver Knights and Winnipeg Hawks – with a sixth, Cricket West Indies representative team, consisting entirely of players from the Caribbean, as part of an official partnership with Cricket West Indies (CWI).
Smith will be joined by international stars including Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Shahid Afridi, Darren Sammy, Lasith Malinga, Sunil Narine, David Miller and Dwayne Bravo for the month-long tournament.
Team lists are set to be decided following the upcoming tournament draft, which David Warner has reportedly nominated for.
Four roster spots will be set aside for Canadians, including one for a Canadian U-23 player.
The league will comprise 22 matches culminating in playoffs and the championship match on July 16. All contests will take place at Maple Leaf Cricket Club, a cricket-specific facility just north of Toronto that will be expanded to a capacity of 7,000 seats.