Shakib Al Hasan out of Caribbean Premier League
Smith replaces him
Bangladesh Test and T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan has withdrawn from the Caribbean Premier League for the upcoming season. He is set to be replaced by former Australia captain Steve Smith.
Smith has been banned to play international and state cricket for Australia but will now take part in the CPL after recently concluding his participation in the Global T20 Canada league.
Meanwhile, Barbados Tridents coach Robin Singh has stated that while losing Shakib Al Hasan is a big blow, having Steve Smith replace him powers up the batting order of the team.
"It is a huge blow to lose Shakib for the tournament but in Steve Smith, we have a truly world-class replacement who can help to bring power to our batting lineup," he said.
"As a man who has played cricket at the highest level all over the world, we are very confident that Smith will be a big success with the Tridents."
Steve Smith’s former right-hand man David Warner is also set to take part in the CPL while representing St Lucia Stars.
Smith’s return to cricket in the Global T20 Canada might not have been great on a collective front as his team ended last in the tournament, he did, however, score 167 runs from his 6 innings at an average of 33.40 and a strike-rate of 119.28.
