Steve Smith named Welsh Fire captain ahead of The Hundred

Smith, who was replaced as skipper of his national side after the ball-tampering scandal in 2018, also leads Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League

• Latest Hundred news

Australia batsman Steve Smith will captain Welsh Fire in the inaugural edition of The Hundred.

The 30-year-old was the second player selected by head coach Gary Kirsten at the draft in October after signing up Mitchell Starc, his compatriot.

Smith, who was replaced as skipper of his national side after the ball-tampering scandal in 2018, also leads Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

While several of the Hundred teams appear to have quite natural captaincy decisions to be made, Welsh Fire seemed to have more options available to them.

Essex off-spinner Simon Harmer led his county to T20 Blast glory in September, while Ryan ten Doeschate captained the club to the County Championship title. Colin Ingram has also led T20 teams, including Glamorgan and Adelaide Strikers. Yet, they have plumped for Smith, who won four and lost four of his eight T20Is in charge of Australia.

Smith said: “It’s an honour to be asked to captain Welsh Fire in the first year of The Hundred. Our squad looks super strong with a great group of players who’ve dominated the international and domestic scenes for the past few years.

“Tom Banton is one of the most exciting young players in the world right now and Mitchell Starc brings the X-factor with the ball, so we’re looking to put on an amazing show for the fans in Cardiff.”

Kirsten added: “Steve’s knowledge and experience of leading teams in pressurised situations will definitely help us in this first season of The Hundred.

“He’s got a track record of getting the best out of his players while performing to a very high standard himself, which will be key for us this summer.”

Welsh Fire begin their campaign in the competition’s opening fixture against Oval Invincibles at the Kia Oval on July 17.

It remains unclear how many games Smith will be available for. There is a possibility that a three-match ODI series between Australia and Zimbabwe could be rearranged for August, which would clash with the tournament.

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