Star Australian batsman Steve Smith is expected to play his first match of the BBL 2023-24 season for the Sydney Sixers against the Melbourne Renegades on December 8. The team wants him to play in the Sydney derby after the Pakistan Test series.
Steve Smith had a great impact on the Sydney Sixers last season, scoring 346 runs in just five innings with a strike rate of 174.74. This included two impressive centuries, which were the first by a Sixers batsman in the BBL. Despite playing in only a few games, the Australian veteran batted exceedingly well in the shorter format of the game.
Speaking to the media, Rachael Haynes expressed her delight at having Steve Smith back in the franchise for the forthcoming Big Bash League season and emphasized the impact he had on the team during the previous season, where he played a few big knocks for the team.
“The impact that Steve was able to make in such a short time last season is testament to the kind of player he is, We have no doubt Sixers fans can expect the same level of entertainment when he takes to the field again this summer,” Rachael Haynes, the head coach of Sydney Sixers.
Due to his international schedule, Steve Smith’s opportunities this summer will be limited in the Big Bash League. However, the Sixers have signed him up and he is set to play against the Renegades at the SCG before heading to Perth for the first Test against Pakistan.
Hopefully, I Can Replicate That Internationally As Well – Steve Smith
Earlier, Steve Smith claimed that he was glad to open the batting in the shorter format of the game, that he was pleased with his performance for the Sydney Sixers in the T20 competition, and that he hoped to reproduce similar form at the international level.
“Anyone would want to open in T20 cricket, It was cool to be able to show what I could do in the Big Bash. Hopefully, I can replicate that internationally as well,” Steve Smith told AAP.
Steve Smith was supposed to open the innings against South Africa in the T20 cricket, but a wrist injury caused him to withdraw, and he is currently opening the batting against India in the five-match T20 series. With an eye on next year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States, he’d prefer to keep the position with the Australian team, but he’ll have heavy competition from David Warner, Travis Head, and Matt Short.
