Steven Smith, the Australian cricket star, has officially joined the Major League Cricket (MLC) team, the Washington Freedom, for the upcoming second season, starting on July 4. The news doesn't come as a surprise, as Smith has been a brand ambassador for Freedom since last year. With his busy international schedule allowing him to participate in July, his signing was widely expected.

Here is the welcome tweet from Washington freedom

Welcome the the family, 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡

Can't wait to have you onboard, mate!

According to Cricinfo, world cup winning kangaroo player Smith owns an apartment in New York, He also previously said it would be "pretty cool" to play in the USA

"As a New South Wales boy, the partnership the Freedom has with my home state means a lot to me," Smith said in a promotional video. "Cricket in Australia has a rich history and I look forward to being part of taking cricket to the United States of America."

In the previous season, Freedom had notable players from New South Wales (NSW) like Moises Henriques, Tanveer Sangha, and Ben Dwarshuis, along with Josh Philippe from the Sydney Sixers

However, Smith faces a challenge to secure a spot in Australia's final 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in June. Despite his impressive performance in the 2022-23 Big Bash League (BBL) season with the Sydney Sixers, where he scored 346 runs at a striking rate of 174.74, Smith has had limited T20 cricket exposure lately. He only played two T20Is in India, two matches in the last BBL season, and two games against New Zealand in February, where his batting performance was not as strong.