Washington Freedom pick Steve Smith as skipper for MLC 2024

Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise Washington Freedom recently came forward to announce veteran Australia batter Steve Smith as their skipper for the upcoming season of the MLC. Smith has led Australia to 21 Test wins, 30 ODI wins, and four T20I wins; this will be his first time leading a MLC side. 

The MLC began in 2023 in the USA, and the Washington Freedom managed to make it to the playoffs, where they went on to lose to the inaugural champions, MI New York. 

With the big name signing of Steve Smith, it was expected that Freedom would announce the veteran batter as their skipper for the upcoming season of the tournament. The news was confirmed soon after the franchise took to X (formerly known as Twitter).

“Oh Captain, Our Captain, Smudge is all set to lead the Freedom squad for #MLC2024,” Freedom tweeted. 

It is interesting to note that Steve Smith has had a very successful career, especially during his time as the skipper of Australia. Smith has also led IPL franchises Pune Warriors, Rising Pune Supergiants, and Rajasthan Royals. He had a win loss record of 25-17, and in the IPL 2017, he led RPS to the summit clash of the tournament.

Furthermore, Steve Smith’s former Australia teammate Moises Henriques led Washington Freedom in MLC 2023, where the side finished third in the standings, winning three of their five matches. 

Despite the side making it to the knockouts, only one batter made it past the 150-run mark, which was Matt Short. With Smith’s arrival in the side, Freedom will hope for exceptional performances from the seasoned batter and his repertoire with the bat will demand a huge amount of runs being scored in the tournament by his side.