Former England captain Michael Vaughan has hailed Sussex after they announced the signing of Australia star Steve Smith for three County Championship matches ahead of the Ashes.
Vaughan praised the move as a "great signing for our game", despite current England skipper Ben Stokes admitting he would "prefer" Australian players "not to get any game time out here before the Ashes".
Smith's short stint with Sussex will be his first time playing in the County Championship and Vaughan believes he will have a positive impact on a side full of promising but inexperienced cricketers.
"Great signing for our game," Vaughan tweeted after the move was confirmed. "Well done." Vaughan had also previously tweeted: "I really don't get the outcry from people saying @stevesmith49 shouldn't be allowed a county stint !!! It's exactly what county cricket requires .. having one of the greatest ever players in a Sussex dressing room can only be a positive to our game".
However, when quizzed about Smith's desire to play county cricket ahead of the Ashes in December, Stokes said: "I guess it's good for the county game to see players of Steve's calibre want to come over and play. But I don't know. I think it's one of those where you'd probably prefer them not to get any game time out here before the Ashes. But at the same time, it is what it is."
And England fans were split after Smith's stint was announced, with some happy to see one of the best batters in the world playing county cricket and others questioning why he was being allowed extra preparation ahead of the Ashes.
"Looking forward to this! Great chance for our young batters to learn from one of the best in the world," one fan wrote. A second added: "Anyone against this is an idiot. Fantastic pull for the county championship to have one of the greatest batsman to ever play the game playing in division 2 against the current number 1."
However, a third fan fumed: "Why on earth are we helping the Aussies right before an ashes series…" While another added: "Cheers for helping him get into form ahead of the ashes, ecb needs to ban this happening in an Ashes year".
"I am excited about joining Sussex for a few games in May and hopefully making a contribution to a successful season," Smith said. "I am particularly looking forward to working with the younger players in the squad and hoping I can provide some guidance to them."
