BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS: In this handout image provided by CPL T20, Steve Smith of Barbados Tridents glances up at the scoreboard during the Hero Caribbean Premier League match between Barbados Tridents and Jamaica Tallawahs at Kensington Oval on August 29, 2018 in Bridgetown, Barbados. (Photo by Ashley Allen - CPL T20/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Steve Smith
Steve Smith's run in the Caribbean Premier League has come to an abrupt conclusion, according to cricket.com.au.
The batsman has suffered a grade one abdominal tear which will rule him out for the rest of the tournament.
Smith played seven games for the Barbados Tridents as a replacement player for Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, but will take no further part in the competition.
"He had a slight tear and he had to go back, so it’s a really unfortunate situation," coach Robin Singh said ahead of the Tridents' clash against the St Lucia Stars.
It is understood that Smith's injury will not prevent him from making his return to Premier Cricket for Sutherland on September 22, where he will play alongside his former Australian teammate and Sydney Thunder captain Shane Watson.
Smith scored 185 runs off seven innings for the Tridents, including a standout game against Jamaica where he scored 63 runs and took 2-19 with the ball. The performance was Smith's best since his 12-month ban from international cricket began in March.
Smith said post match that he's been working on improving his bowling during the CPL tournament by taking notes from the style of Pakistan veteran Shahid Afridi.
"I've changed a few things – I'm trying to base my action off Shahid Afridi actually, and try and bowl quite fast and into the wicket," Smith said.
"There wasn't a heap of bounce on this wicket so you could almost hit that back-of-a-length and make them go across the line.
"Fortunately, it worked tonight."