Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video In Toronto this week, three months into a one-year ban from playing domestic and international cricket for Australia, Smith was smiling as he was mobbed by fans at a pre-tournament event. He appeared comfortable and upbeat as he practised with teammates on Thursday. Warner took in a game of golf and some light practice in Toronto, saying he was "looking forward to having my first hit". Smith was mobbed by fans at a pre-competition event in Toronto this week. Credit:Rachel Olding

"It's been fantastic, everyone's been great," he said of his reception in Canada, a country hardly known for its cricket credentials. "I could see the positivity in their faces," said Ashit Patel, head of the Canadian arm of Mercuri, an Indian entertainment company that bought the rights to operate the T20 in Canada. Three months off have allowed Smith to rest, re-evaluate and focus on positive endeavours such as talking to school students about mental health, a new foray for a man who admitted in his autobiography that he's never had any interests outside cricket. Indeed, he will donate his entire players' fee from the Canadian competition (organisers would not disclose the amount but top pay for the event is $C100,000, about $100,000) to nurture youth cricket in Canada and Australia, Fairfax Media understands.

Organisers had no hesitation in signing the pair up so soon after the cheating scandal. In fact, they eyed an opportunity to bolster their fledgling competition when Cricket Australia confirmed the one-year ban didn't extend to domestic leagues in other countries. Steve Smith and David Warner pictured arriving in Toronto for the inaugural T20 Canada. Credit:T20 Canada Mercuri quietly approached the pair through agents and friends in the cricketing community. There was instant interest, particularly when it was pitched as helping develop the sport in Canada. Loading "I think a one-year suspension, in my country, is an overkill," Cricket Canada president Ranjit Saini said. "They’ve apologised, they’ve shown remorse. I think no Canadian is going to ask them a single question about it. Everybody deserves a second chance."

Toronto Nationals captain and West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy, who picked Smith as his first draft, told Fairfax Media the first thing he said to the Australian batsman this week was that he admired Smith for owning his mistake. "I can see he has changed," Sammy said. "I’m just happy he’s here. I really respect him for what he has been through." Steve Smith (pictured centre with head down) training with his Toronto Nationals teammates ahead of the T20 Canada competition. Credit:T20 Canada All eyes will be on Smith and Warner's performances on the field too, following Australia's humiliating one-day and T20 defeats in England this month. Workers have scrambled to make the Maple Leaf Cricket Club ready for world-class competition; temporary grandstands to seat 7000 people and rows of portaloos have been brought in.

"[The ground] takes me back to when I watched games in New Zealand, just a few guys ... going into the countryside and hanging around," Patel said. Farmer Merton Wells was less than impressed by the cricket match being staged across the road from him in rural King City. Credit:Rachel Olding But locals in King City, described by one resident as a quiet town of wealthy and fiercely protective farmers, were not quite as enthusiastic. Illustration: Matt Golding Credit:mg Asked if he was excited that international stars such as Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo would be playing across the road, 92-year-old farmer Merton Wells, who helped build the Maple Leaf ground in the 1950s, said: "I don't care, it's of no interest. What makes me upset is that they wouldn't let me in there without a hard hat on yesterday."