Australian star Steve Smith is set for his first in-person commentary stint as the IPL 2024 begins on the 22nd of March. The star Australian batsman was unsold at the auction held in December last year. Thus missing two consecutive seasons of the Indian Premier League.
Smith is also set to miss the county cricket this year, with likes of Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne all set for it. While it might have aided Smith’s performance, Australian coach Andrew McDonald rejected any speculation about a county stint during his post-match comments following the two-Test series against New Zealand. However, he will participate in the Major League Cricket for Washington Freedom.
This will be the first time the Aussie batter will take up the comms in person. Last year, however, he did join the commentators virtually in the studio via a hologram. Smith will be joining the likes of AB de Villiers, Matthew Hayden, Ian Bishop, and Nick Knight as he takes up the mic during the Indian Premier League.
Who will be the IPL 2024 commentators?
The IPL 2024 Commentary in English will feature some of the biggest names in the sport. The complete list of commentators in English:
- Harsha Bhogle
- Sunil Gavaskar
- Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
- Murali Karthik
- Pommie Mbangwa
- Nick Knight
- Danny Morrison
- Simon Doull
- AB de Villiers
- Mathew Hayden
- Deep Dasgupta
- Anjum Chopra
- Ian Bishop
- Alan Wilkins
- Kevin Pietersen
Ricky Ponting’s prediction on Steve Smith’s role in T20 WC:
The IPL 2024 will be followed closely by the T20 World Cup in June. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting however made a bold prediction on Smith’s chances of making it to the event. He stated that although Steve Smith could secure a spot in the World Cup squad, he may not find himself in the starting lineup.
Smith’s presence in Australia’s shorter format team has been sporadic. He has participated in merely four T20I matches since the 2022 T20 World Cup held at home. His most recent T20I appearance occurred during the comprehensive tour of New Zealand.
During the initial match in New Zealand, the 34-year-old was left out of the playing XI. Subsequently, he managed scores of 11 and 4 runs in the following two series matches. Despite his stellar career, Smith has only surpassed the 20-run mark once in his last four matches.
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