Steve Smith has given national selectors a reminder of the immense talent they'll be unable to call upon this summer, earning man-of-the-match honours in his most polished performance as a banned batsman.
Smith lifted the Barbados Tridents to a two-run victory over the Jamaica Tallawahs in Florida on Thursday, when he starred with bat and ball in the Caribbean Premier League.
Steve Smith starred for Barbados.
Australia's sacked skipper top-scored for Barbados with 63 from 44 balls, helping them recover from 3-39 to finish 6-156.
Jamaica were on track to complete a comfortable win after openers Glenn Phillips and Johnson Charles shared a lively 80-run stand in just nine overs.
Smith, who made his Test debut as a legspinning all-rounder before becoming the world's best batsman, spun the game on its head by removing both Phillips and Charles in a single over.
The 29-year-old was denied a third scalp when Raymon Reifer dropped a catch in the deep. Jamaica finished on 3-154.
Smith revealed in the post-match ceremony that he recently remodelled his bowling action based on Pakistan veteran Shahid Afridi.
"Why not? The bloke's played for a long time. He's been a terrific legspinner," he said.
"I've changed a few things. I'm trying to bowl quite fast and into the wicket.
"As I'm getting a bit older I can't walk in anymore and bowl as fast as I need to.
"Hopefully I don't bowl too much. Most of these wickets are pretty flat and the grounds are small."
Smith, who is serving a 12-month ban from international cricket for his role in the Cape Town cheating scandal, suggested he's been working hard on his fitness during his time in exile.
Earlier, the right-hander showed good composure while rebuilding his team's innings following the loss of Dwayne Smith, Hashim Amla and Martin Guptill.
Smith's fluent footwork and funky strokes, a hallmark of his rise up the International Cricket Council's Test batting charts, came to the fore as he counter-attacked in style.
Smith, who had a few Australians supporting him in the crowd, hammered compatriot Adam Zampa for consecutive sixes.
Smith offered a sharp return catch on 28 then benefited from a missed stumping on 48. He was otherwise in control until attempting to heave a delivery from Andre Russell over the rope.
Rovman Powell held the resultant catch in the deep. Smith would have been out regardless as his bat clipped the stumps during his wild swing.
AAP
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