Former Australia captain Steve Smith is all set to resume his competitive cricket journey after the infamous ball-tampering scandal. Smith will play for Toronto Nationals in the inaugural edition of the Global T20 Canada League, starting from Thursday (June 28).

Informing about Smith’s arrival in Canada on Tuesday (June 26), the official Twitter handle of Global T20 Canada League posted a picture with a caption: “@stevesmith49 is here and all smiles. #6sInThe6ix #GT20Canada @canadiancricket”.

Cricket Australia had imposed a one-year ban on Smith for his involvement in the ball-tampering plot at Newlands in March. Besides Smith, CA had also issued severe punishments on former Australia vice-captain David Warner and rookie opener Cameron Bancroft. While Warner was suspended for 12-month after he was found to be the chief instigator in the entire fiasco, Bancroft was barred from international cricket for a period of 9-month.

In its statement, Cricket Australia had also mentioned that the convicted trio will have to complete 100 hours of community service before being considered for future selection. While Smith and Bancroft will have to wait two years before they are considered for leadership roles, Warner will never again be considered for captaincy.

It is worth mentioning here that Smith and Warner had lost their million dollars deal in the recently concluded Indian Premier League for Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively. The BCCI had barred them from participating in the cash-rich event following Cricket Australia’s harsh sanctions.