Australia’s star batter Steve Smith might be seen showcasing his skills in New York as New South Wales signed an exchange and development programme with Major League Cricket, slated to be held in July this year.

While Smith won’t be able to take part in the competition this season because of the Ashes commitments, other NSW players will have the chance to join the six franchises featuring in the T20 tournament.

“I think the opportunities for all of our players are going to be brilliant,” Lee Germon, Cricket NSW CEO, said before Friday’s official announcement.

“Steve absolutely has made no secret that he loves New York, but there are also two or three other players I’ve spoken to who would love to be able to play cricket in the United States.

“We’re looking at every opportunity we can to grow the game, develop the game and promote the game and I think we saw with Steve this year coming back to play with the Sixers and the BBL, the impact he had,” he added.

Steve Smith’s liking for New York is not a secret. In 2017, he announced his engagement with wife Dani in New York.

“My wife and I just really, really love it. We love the lifestyle, the speed of the city. We’ve got quite a few friends there now,” Smith was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

“I can get around and live kind of normally. It’s a nice where you can just go and forget about everything else. There’s just so much to do there. I like the option of living the fast life, but you can still chill if you want to. It’s just a cool city.”

Smith also hinted that he might finish his playing career in New York.

“My wife’s actually still there at the moment. It’s certainly something that we’re looking into. I’m getting a bit older now, and certainly closer to the end of my career than the start. So yeah, we’ll wait and see.”

“I mean, yeah, there’s obviously [T20] leagues popping up everywhere around the world now, and I think you’ll probably see more players in the back end of their career going down that route, so it’s potentially something I’ll look at in the future,” Smith said.

“There’s no reason why cricket can’t work in the US, I wouldn’t think,” Smith said.