Steve Smith likely to make his return through Canada T20 league

The exiled former Australian captain Steve Smith, who is serving a 12-month ban for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa alongside David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, could make his return to the cricket field in a month’s time through Global T20 Canada that will be held in Toronto from June 28 to July 16. According to reports in The Age, Smith has been approached to feature in Toronto's T20 tournament and CA has been supportive of his return to any foreign league.

The report further suggested that Smith has become a hot property in the T20 leagues around the world, which also includes the Afghanistan Premier League (APL). APL came into existence early this year in January after Afghanistan got the full membership status from ICC last June. The tournament is set to begin in October 2018 in Sharjah and is in the pursuit to get Smith’s signature. 

Given the high-profile cricketer that Smith has been, T20 leagues of countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and UAE have already approached Smith to contest in the league. Smith, who recently returned from a vacation in the US, had a net session at the Sydney Cricket Ground this week with his father, suggesting he is prepping for a comeback.

Earlier, newly appointed Australia's head coach, Justin Langer, had also supported the idea of the banned trio of Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft making a return to the Australian team.