Steven Smith joins Washington Freedom for MLC 2024

Ace Australia batter Steven Smith has officially joined the Washington Freedom for the second edition of the Major League Cricket (MLC) which is scheduled to begin on July 4. It was expected that he would join the MLC franchise since he became their brand ambassador in 2023. Moreover, Australia's international cricket schedule will also not clash with the tournament, giving him an apparent opportunity to contest in July.

It is worth noting that Smith's domestic team in Australia, New South Wales (NSW), have a strong partnership with Washington Freedom. However, there has been a recent change in leadership, with Ricky Ponting taking over the role of coach from Greg Shipperd in February 2024. Moreover, several NSW players including Moises Henriques, Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis, and Josh Philippe, were part of Freedom's squad in the inaugural edition.

The 34-year-old joins fellow Australians Adam Zampa (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Spencer Johnson (Knight Riders), and Tim David (MI New York), who were signed for the upcoming season of MLC. Additionally, it is anticipated that more Australian players will join particular franchises to take part in America's only professional cricket championship.

Also read: Ace Australia batter Steven Smith has officially joined the Washington Freedom for the second edition of the Major League Cricket (MLC) which is scheduled to begin on July 4. 

See Washington Freedom's X post: 

𝐒𝐦𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 x 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 = 😍

Welcome the the family, 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡 ❤️#WashingtonFreedom #MLC2024 #SteveSmith pic.twitter.com/bGrzxlsr61

— Washington Freedom (@WSHFreedom) April 11, 2024

Smith likely to miss spot in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad

It's probable that Steven Smith will earn a place in Australia's final 15-man squad for the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, which is set to be contested prior to the MLC 2024. The highly anticipated ICC global event is scheduled for June and will be co-hosted by the United States of America and the West Indies.

"I think they're pretty settled up top - to be honest - with [Travis] Head, [David] Warner and [Mitchell] Marsh in the top three. I'm not really sure what [selectors] want to do. I'm not really too fussed either way. If I'm there, I'm there; if I'm not, I'm not,” Smith was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Also read: I don’t think Punjab Kings would want to put Shashank Singh back in the auction now: Steve Smith

The 34-year-old's chances of securing a spot are uncertain due to his limited participation in the shortest format recently. He has made an impressive return to the Big Bash League (BBL) with the Sydney Sixers in the 2022-23 season, scoring 346 runs at a strike rate of 174.74. Since then he has only played two T20Is in India, two matches in last season's BBL, and two games against New Zealand in February.