Smith to be allowed to play in BPL

Australia's former skipper Steve Smith could yet feature for BPL franchise Comilla Victorians after the tournament's governing council decided that franchises will be allowed to include one player each in their squad from outside the players' draft.

Bangladesh Cricket Board media committee chairman Jalal Yunus informed The Daily Star that they have decided to let the franchises add one player from outside the players' draft.

"The franchises requested the governing council to let them add one more player in the lineup since a lot of the players in the players' draft will not be available due to international duties. After taking things into consideration we decided to let the franchises include one player in their lineup from outside the draft," Yunus said. Comilla coach Mohammad Salauddin also confirmed the news.

While it will help all the teams, it will also pave the way for Smith to participate in the tournament. The Australian had previously stated his excitement at being able to participate in his first BPL tournament. However, other franchises had objected to his inclusion in the tournament since his name was not originally in the players' draft.

Comilla Victorians authorities had earlier informed that the franchise signed a contract with Smith in November for the sixth edition of the BPL. The Australian cricketer, currently serving a year-long ban for his role in the ball-tampering scandal in a Test between Australia and South Africa last March, was expected to join Comilla from the fifth game of the tournament.