Australia captain Steve Smith’s global currency soars after flying SCG catch

STEVE Smith’s marketability is set to surge beyond the traditionally narrow boundaries of cricket and into a broader sporting world occupied by the likes of Tim Cahill.

Australia captain Steve Smith is breaking down global barriers.

STEVE Smith’s marketability is set to surge beyond the traditionally narrow boundaries of cricket and into a broader sporting world occupied by the likes of Tim Cahill.

It might have taken the public a while to get used to the fact Smith had a quieter and more reserved personality than some of his predecessors but the Test captain is now fast growing into himself as one of Australia’s most high profile figures.

David Warner’s international marketability and business sense is hard to top as far as Australian cricket is concerned, with his lucrative partnerships with Gray-Nicolls, Asics, Toyota, LG, Milo and Channel Nine boosted by other ventures including his recent branching out into a clothing line – making him a sport’s leader.

BADASS! America reacts to Smith classic catch

Teammates congratulate Steve Smith after his spectacular grab at the SCG.

But Smith too is on the rise, and his strong leadership this summer through a trying period for Australian cricket has been a catalyst.

It’s understood Smith has a marketability index of No.1 with Cricket Australia, hardly a surprise given he is the national captain in all three formats.

However, the 27-year-old’s potential has also been recognised world-wide by personal sponsors New Balance, who just elevated Smith to the status of ‘global ambassador’, where he will join sporting luminaries like Cahill, EPL star Aaron Ramsay, tennis No.3 Milos Raonic and Major League Baseball MVP Dustin Pedroia as the company’s international faces.

When Smith took a stunning one-handed diving catch against New Zealand in a one-dayer at the SCG earlier this month – a grab which will go down as one of the all-time classic catches – it instantly crossed over into cricket’s great untapped market, the USA, with the video going viral on leading American websites.

Cahill – recently estimated on BRW’s Young Rich List as having an estimated worth of $36 million – is a genuine international sporting name, and New Balance believes that in time, Smith is the kind of strong and passionate personality capable of making a cut-through into overseas markets.

“He’s certainly heading in that direction now,” said New Balance vice-President Darren Tucker.

“We’re seeing what Tim has behind him as a global engine … and Tim is already at his maturity in sport. And he’s gone and played competitively in other markets, whether it be in the US or China.

“Cricket is not as publicised or followed as football … but we certainly have aspirations to build with Steve his profile as a leader and one of our key faces.

“We’ll probably use Steve’s face a little more specifically in the Commonwealth countries but also in the US and try and work ways to hook him up with people like Milos Raonic and Aaron Ramsey and some of our top baseballers.

Tim Cahill is one of Australia’s most marketable athletes.

“We’ve definitely had some wins and losses from a gains point of view with cricket in the US. But the baseball boys were all over (that catch) and he’s certainly getting some visibility.”

Smith’s partnership portfolio also includes Commonwealth Bank, Sanitarium, Fox Sports and Fit Bit and he has invested in a number of start-up companies including Koala Mattresses and Snappr as well as property development.

For Cricket Australia, all Test captains are extremely marketable, but they have a strong stable of sought-after faces led by Warner and Mitchell Starc.

When BRW did its last sporting rich list in 2014 Warner was ranked narrowly above Smith with a worth of $3.8 million, and his Kaboom bat sponsorship makes him the biggest Gray-Nicolls face in the world.

Both Smith and Warner earn in excess of $1 million in the IPL and would likely be the two highest ranking players on Australia’s annual contracting list, with Starc third.

Australia captain Steve Smith is breaking down global barriers.

They have both roared into their prime, with Warner in the ICC Team of the Year and Smith the ICC’s No.1 ranked batsman.

The public may not have truly known Steve Smith until his rally-cry press conference in Hobart last month, when he showed maturity beyond his years in addressing Australia’s Test match crisis.

But they certainly understand what Smith is about now, and he spoke from the heart to convey the same kind of presence Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke have before him.

Smith has shown himself to be a leader of men.

“He can wear his heart on his sleeve a little bit but he’s always doing the right thing,” said Tucker.

“The way he’s come through the last couple of months has been outstanding for a young man given the pressure that’s been placed on him by the media and the cricket community.

“From a company point of view we certainly like to have faces who are leaders in sport and Steve is obviously that.”

Originally published as Australia captain Steve Smith’s global currency soars after flying SCG catch