You have to take your hats off to Durham don’t you. From minor county to Test ground in less than 15 years, more England players this season than any other county team and now they can boast the services of a Hollywood superstar.
It’s been a while since Will Smith last made a movie - he was a retro cop in the (less than thrilling) sci-fi thriller I-Robot and now we know why.
Apparently, the rapper and star of well-known blockbusters such as Wild Wild West, (a Back To the Future style Western) Men In Black (one and two) and Rom-com Hitch (Not very funny), has become disillusioned with the glitz and glamour of the movie industry and wants to return to his first love cricket.
Smith’s grandfather was a West Indian fast bowler in the 1930s and introduced a young Fresh Prince of Bel Air to the sport during holidays in the Caribbean.
Smith showed considerable talent as a batsman as a youngster, but he used to be bullied by his American school chums so, like all easily-led members of the MTV generation paralysed by peer pressure, he threw away his cricket bat and, in an early indication of his convincing acting ability, pretended to like baseball and basketball instead.
Thankfully, with age has come maturity and Smith secretly had a full scale cricket pitch built at his Los Angeles mansion some time ago, as well as indoor nets and a jacuzzi. With the help of Sir Gary Sobers and close friend Brian Lara, Smith has turned down a number of tempting roles - including Superman - to dedicate his life to cricket.
He first came to the attention to Durham coach Martyn Moxon when scouts saw Smith hit a century in an English ex-pat game played in the shadows of the Hollywood hills, a game which also featured Sir Anthony Hopkins, Robbie Williams, Hugh Grant, Denise van Outen and that lead singer from Bush, whose English and is married to Gwen Stefani, but who nobody has heard of over here.
Smith will be the first Hollywood A-lister to play in the County Championship - in fact he will be the first American - and is expected to open the batting with fellow new signing, the Australian Michael Di Venuto.
Probably, possibly, oh alright, I’ll shut up now!
Durham's Will Smith is a 24-year-old opening batsman from Nottinghamshire. He went to Durham University and he has signed a two year contract. Boring! My story was loads better.
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