Steve Smith, a half-century, highlights the opening of the Cricket Global T20 Canada

KING CITY – Former Australian skipper Steve Smith broke the first stage of the scandal that derailed his career with 61 innings Thursday in the opening game of the Global T20 Canada Cricket Tournament

. Toronto Nationals to a six-wicket victory against the Vancouver Knights.

It was a welcome return on the cricket pitch for the 29-year-old drummer after a three-month absence that saw him pilloried for cheating

. "Honestly, when I'm in the middle, everything else is unclear," he told reporters after the match. "I'm just focusing on what I'm doing – it's almost like my paradise, I suppose, if you want to call it so." I love being in the middle and playing the game.

"The Toronto Nationals team has been great, everyone has really accepted it."

Sammy, who turned 22, won the game with a six with four balls remaining, pushing Toronto's 231 for four Six-sixths of the penultimate episode helped the Toronto cause

Smith was surprised by Chadwick Walton after missing a delivery from Fawad Ahmed Smith, which was almost caught up on 27 , hit a six and eight four to compile his 12th half-century T20.

Much of the attention before the tournament was on Smith, whose career took a plunge in March to cheat in a test match in South Africa David Warner, the former Australian vice-captain also involved in the scandal, is l & # 39; Canadian event as a member of the Winnipeg Hawks

Both men were banned for a year by Cricket Australia, although & # 39; they are allowed to play in the & # 39; abroad. . This decision did not help them in the prestigious Indian Premier League, which canceled their lucrative contracts.

An investigator from Cricket Australia discovered that Warner had asked Cameron Bancroft how to handle a piece of sandpaper during a break in the game on the third day of the third cricket test against South Africa. Bancroft was banned for nine months

Smith, who, as captain, took responsibility for cheating, dropped both cricket and Australia in a dramatic fall of grace.

"Listen, I'm not going to lie … It's been a difficult time in my life, that's no question," he said. "But I accepted my punishment, I'm I accepted what I experienced. And I'm going from the front. Part of my kind of rehab also plays cricket. That's what I like to do.

Thursday's game was held within the tight confines of the Maple Leaf Cricket Club, just north of Toronto. The stands were largely empty when the first ball was played at 16h. local time, but the crowd has grown a little.

Ball came out of the ground, clearing trees and VIP tents under the late afternoon sun after Sammy, the Toronto captain, won the draw and decided to put Vancouver in bat. Opener Evin Lewis kept the Vancouver scoreboard while the Knights compiled 227 points for four wickets in their 20 overs.

Lewis left after an entertaining 96, four short of his fourth-century T20, when he skied a shot at Devcich 19th more. He touched 10 six and five kilts with 55 balls.

Andre Russell joined, beating UAE bowler Mohammad Naveed for four sixes and a four in the 17th. The West Indies drummer finished at 54.

Smith was involved in the first outing of the match, making the move to send West Indies star Chris Gayle after a 17-inning round, 12 balls that included two fours and a six.

Toronto lost opener Nazakat Khan (six) in the first, bringing Smith. The Aussie showed a stylish shot most often even though there were also some rusty moments in his 41-ball innings

The tournament is a partnership between Cricket Canada and the Mercuri Group, a company of India-based media and talent management For Cricket Canada, it's a chance to give national team players a high-level competition while deriving revenue from its contract of 25-year lease with Mercuri, who is also committed to developing

For Mercuri, it is possible to create a potentially important window in the crowded cricket calendar with broadcast partners from around the world.

The organizers recruited celebrity names for Sammy of the West Indies (Toronto), Gayle (Vancouver) and Dwayne Bravo (Winnipeg), Sri Lanka Lasith Malinga (Montreal) and Pakistani Shahid Afridi (Edmonton). A Cricket West Indies B team fills the squad of six teams

The Toronto lineup included Canadian captain Nitish Kumar and Nikhil Dutta. The Vancouver team includes Canadians Saad Bin Zafar and Jeremy Gordon

. The music played during the breaks, ranging from the Bee Gees Staying Alive to the Los Macrena Macarena. an advertising banner for a local bank, with limited success.

The uniforms were also unequal. Devcich, a late addition to Toronto, had no name or number on his jersey. Maybe his number was used by Gayle, which was numbered 333. It also took a while for the electronic dashboard to work