- Former Test skipper’s wealth soared on Tuesday
Aussie cricket superstar Steve Smith is $1.4million richer thanks to a savvy investment decision he made in 2015.
Smith, 36, invested $100,000 with online bedding and furniture retailer Koala in what was a 10 per cent stake at the time.
After the company debuted on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) list on Tuesday, Smith would have been a very happy man.
Smith’s SS415 Investments is now the eighth-largest shareholder in Koala, and after the market fluctuated, the value of his shares rose 11.7 per cent just before close of business.
It left Koala worth a little over $13.2million, meaning Smith enjoyed a $1.4million payday.
Away from cricket, Smith is also an ambassador for Bamboo, an Australian financial tech app designed to help users invest in digital currencies and precious metals.
Aussie cricket superstar Steve Smith (pictured with wife Dani Willis) is $1.4 million richer thanks to a savvy decision he made in 2015
The 36-year-old invested $100,000 with Aussie online bedding and furniture retailer Koala and reaped the rewards on Tuesday
The company debuted on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) list and is now worth a little over $13.2 million (Smith is pictured after making an Ashes century in January)
Additionally, he co-founded Oat Milk Goodness and was an early investor in online photography marketplace Snappr.
Meanwhile, given his electric form in the BBL with the Sydney Sixers in January, eyebrows were raised when Smith was recently overlooked by IPL franchises.
He is currently playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the Multan Sultans, led by compatriot Ashton Turner.
Smith is a certainty to be named in Cricket Australia’s latest contract list on Wednesday after he was inexplicably overlooked for the squad ahead of the disastrous T20 World Cup.
Australia didn’t progress beyond the group stage following embarrassing defeats against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.
The veteran was eventually called up as an injury replacement in Sri Lanka for Mitch Marsh, but only featured for two overs in the field against Oman.
It was the first time Australia were eliminated in the preliminary stage of a global tournament for 17 years.
‘It’s a bitterly disappointed change room,’ T20 captain Marsh said when reflecting on what went wrong.
‘We’ve built for two years to get here and, unfortunately, we didn’t play our best in a couple of games we needed to… that’s tournament play.’
