Smith may be out of action for some time to come

And the IPL isn’t the only lucrative on-field opportunity he stands to lose. Smith is Australia’s highest-paid contract player and jeopardises a huge payday if he’s banned for a year. As the Australian captain Smith is on the highest retainer for any cricketer in the country, with a base salary of a reported $2 million per year as he pockets $14,000 per Test match. A recent analysis of wages of international cricket stars found Smith to be the highest paid by his own nation — ahead of even Indian skipper Virat Kohli. That amounts to a year out of the game, $4.5 million in lost on-field earnings, forfeited sponsorship deals and irreparable damage to his reputation. Yes, indeed, Smith appears to have taken some time to properly appreciate just how bad things were for him — and how bad they’re likely to get in the coming days and months.