Steven Smith, the former Australian captain, has officially signed with the Washington Freedom franchise for the upcoming season of Major League Cricket (MLC). The move was widely anticipated, as Smith had previously signed as a brand ambassador for Freedom and Australia’s international schedule allows him to participate in the tournament through July.
Smith’s signing is a significant boost for Freedom, who have a high-performance partnership with Smith’s domestic team in Australia, New South Wales (NSW). In 2023, several NSW players, including Moises Henriques, Tanveer Sangha, and Ben Dwarshuis, were part of Freedom’s squad.
Smith, who owns an apartment in New York, has expressed his excitement about playing in the USA. However, he faces a challenge in earning a spot in Australia’s final 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup in June, as he has not played much T20 cricket recently.
Despite his limited T20 appearances, Smith remains a highly respected and experienced player. He has a prolific record in the Big Bash League (BBL) for the Sydney Sixers, where he made 346 runs at a strike rate of 174.74 in the 2022-23 season.
Smith’s signing joins a growing list of Australian players who have committed to MLC, including Adam Zampa (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Spencer Johnson (Knight Riders), and Tim David (MI New York). The tournament is expected to attract more Australian players after the T20 World Cup ends on June 29.
