Steven Smith could join Major League Cricket next year: Report

Australian batter Steven Smith could play cricket in the United States next year. According to a Fox Sports report, Smith has been conducting secret talks with the owners of a new American T20 tournament, the Major League Cricket. The tournament which begins in July this year will be played across three weeks in Texas and North Carolina. Here are further details.

• Smith is one of the most prolific batters, especially in Test cricket.
• He recently gave a glimpse of his hard-hitting by smacking two tons at the Big Bash League (BBL).
• Moreover, Smith's presence in USA's flagship T20 league, the Major League Cricket, could be a boon.
• He is expected to take part in the 2024 edition of the tournament.

Smith will not be available for this year's MLC as it clashes with the all-important Ashes. As per News Corp reports, the senior batter has been in talks with the tournament's bosses regarding his availability for the 2024 edition.

"We've been in touch with Steve about his plans and what he's thinking," MLC co-founder Sameer Mehta told News Corp. "What he'd love to do at some point is play cricket in the US as his schedule permits. His view was that if he could make it work and if we could make it work - I know this season, he has commitments."

Smith is with the Australian squad in India for the Border-Gavaskar series. Before the series, the 33-year-old smashed two BBL centuries, including his maiden ton in the tournament. Overall, this was Smith's third ton in T20 cricket. He has now raced to 5,150 runs in the format in 240 appearances at 31.02. The talismanic batter has been striking at 127.60 in the format.

The six-team Major League Cricket tournament will be played across three weeks, starting July 13, in Texas and North Carolina. The franchises are based in Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Seattle, and New York. Each of the six franchises has a salary cap of $1.5 million to rope in 18 players, with a maximum of seven overseas stars.

Earlier this month, Cricket New South Wales announced a strategic partnership with MLC. It will allow American players to feature in NSW Premier Cricket and Australian players to participate in the Major League Cricket. Furthermore, CNSW has also agreed to a high-performance partnership with the Washington DC franchise. The board will churn out players and staff for the team.