Banned Australia cricketer Steven Smith will miss the remainder of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2018 with a side strain, and it will be a big blow for CPL franchise Barbados Tridents. Jason Holder confirmed the same during the toss ahead of his side’s encounter against St Lucia Stars.
“He’s pulled an abdominal muscle so he’s out for the rest of the tournament,” Holder said at the toss.
Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Smith has already returned home to treat his injury. Head coach Robin Singh confirmed the same and said it was an unfortunate situation for the same.
“He had a slight tear and he had to go back, so it’s a really unfortunate situation,” Singh said.
Steven Smith signed up for CPL for the first time after receiving a 12-month ban. Cricket Australia banned him or his role in the ball-tampering saga in South Africa earlier this year. After returning to competitive cricket to play in the inaugural Canadian T20 league, Smith represented Tridents as a replacement player for Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan.
Steven Smith, meanwhile, had an average time on the Caribbean island. Smith bowled in three games picking up three wickets and with the bat, had scored 185 runs at an average of 26.42 in seven matches. Barbados Tridents are currently lying bottom of the table with just two wins from seven games.
Meanwhile, they suffered their latest defeat on Sunday when St Lucia Stars beat them by six wickets. It was their fifth straight loss of the season.
Cricket Australia has stated that Smith’s injury is a grade one tear. He is likely to recover in 7-10 days. After that, Smith is set to play in Premier Cricket for Sutherland.