Steve Smith eyeing IPL 2019 for sealing World Cup berth

The last few months for Steve Smith haven’t been joyful by any means. After the ball-tampering scandal at Newlands in Cape Town, he made his comeback to the cricket pitch in the Canada Global T20 and then went on to ply his trade in the Caribbean Premier League (BPL). Recently, Comilla Victorians picked him to play in next edition’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as a replacement of Asela Gunaratne.

However, he hasn’t been permitted to play as he wasn’t a part of the draft. Nevertheless, he is expected to play for the unnamed ‘Sixth Team’ in the 2019 Pakistan Super League (PSL). Moreover, he would then ply his trade for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the next edition of the Indian Premier League. The 29-year-old reckons those matches will enable him to prepare for the World Cup in England and Wales.

IPL is one of the best tournaments

“I was playing in the Bangladesh League, but I don’t know what is happening there at the moment. After that I have the Pakistan League and then the IPL, which I think is adequate preparation for the World Cup, if I’m selected,” Smith was quoted as saying to the reporters.

Furthermore, the New South Wales-born cricketer hailed the IPL as the best tournament across the globe. “Now the way the One Day game is played it’s almost like an extended T20. So I think T20 cricket is a good way to prepare and the IPL is one of the best tournaments around the world,” he added.

Smith sounded extremely happy after Australia brushed aside India in the second Test of the four-match series by 146 runs at the new Perth Stadium. He lauded Aussie Test captain Tim Paine for his captaincy abilities. He is also looking forward to playing the Ashes in England, which gets underway on August 1 next year, and is expecting a hostile reception from the English crowd.

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