However, the 48-year-old said cricket still needs a “co-ordinated and aligned conversation” between the government, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), charities such as Chance to Shine, MCC, and the schools themselves.
“There’s a whole series of things that have to come together, ultimately, to really shift the dial hugely for cricket in state schools,” Smith told BBC Sport.
“What I think we can be reasonably clear about is that an overarching co-ordinated approach to promote the value of sport could be done better than it’s currently being done.”
In 2023, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) reported elitism and class-based discrimination in the game was partly down to a lack of cricket in state schools and a talent pathway structurally aligned to private schools.
The report noted some 58% of men to play for England in 2021 were privately educated, significantly higher than the 7% of the general population who went to private school.
“We know that there has been a narrowing social base in terms of the composition of the England team,” added Smith.
“The Knight-Stokes Trophy is not going to be a complete or final catch-all solution. But if it can accelerate and elevate the conversation about the value of sport in state schools, that would be a wonderful thing.”
The Knight-Stokes Cup is the brainchild of former England captain Michael Vaughan and MCC chair Mark Nicholas.
MCC Foundation, the charitable arm of the organisation, has responsibility for arranging and delivering the competition, with the early rounds overseen by the local counties.
Smith, who has made the success of the first competition a key issue in his year-long stint as MCC president, said cricket has the power to reduce “smartphone addiction” in those of school age.
He added: “I think the point that Jonathan Haidt makes brilliantly in his book ‘Anxious Generation’ is that it cannot be a coincidence we are seeing such a rise in teenage depression and anxiety, given people are spending so much time online.
“There is a tipping point about digital addiction in this country. It’s a super moment for cricket to be at the forefront of what can be done.”
