Sangakkara urges Parag not to look too far ahead

 Sangakkara urges Parag not to look too far ahead

With three half-centuries in five games, Rajasthan batter Riyan Parag is being tipped as a potential pick for India's T20 World Cup squad but Royals coach Kumar Sangakkara wants the 22-year-old to stay focused on the Indian Premier League.

Parag scored 76 in Rajasthan's three-wicket loss to the Gujarat Titans on Wednesday, bringing his tally to 261 runs for the season. He is second in the race for the 'orange cap', awarded to the tournament's leading scorer, behind Royal Challengers' Virat Kohli.

Sangakkara told reporters that while he did not know if Parag would be picked for the World Cup in the West Indies and United States in June the player's performances in the IPL showed how good he could be.

"That's way beyond me, but his potential is there for everyone to see," he added.

"For him, it is about concentrating on Rajasthan and this season.

"Whatever happens will happen after that. You should never get too ahead of yourself in terms of looking at things too far ahead in the future.

"As long as keeps his head down, and is working very hard, batting really well. He's very organised, he's worked hard in the off-season. And if he continues to do that, good things will happen," former Sri Lanka skipper Sangakkara added.

Rajasthan top the IPL standings with four wins from five matches and next face the Punjab Kings on Saturday.

Smith joins Washington Freedom ahead of MLC season

Smith joins Washington Freedom ahead of MLC season

Australia batter Steve Smith will play for Washington Freedom in the second season of Major League Cricket in the United States, the MLC team said on Thursday.

Smith, who has played just four Twenty20 internationals for Australia since the start of 2023, went unsold at the Indian Premier League auction held in December last year. He competed for the Sydney Sixers in the 2023-24 Big Bash League (BBL).

The 34-year-old will be reunited with former team mate Ricky Ponting, who was appointed coach of Washington Freedom in February.

Last year, Smith was named brand ambassador to Washington Freedom, who have a high-performance partnership with New South Wales, his domestic team in Australia.

Washington Freedom finished third in the inaugural season of the six-team T20 tournament. The second edition of MLC is set to begin on July 4, following the conclusion of this year's T20 World Cup in the United States and West Indies.