Steve Smith, who was caught in the infamous ball-tampering incident along with David Warner two years ago, will captain the Welsh Fireside in The Hundred. Ironically, the ball-tampering incident stripped Smith of his captaincy in the Australian side.
The Welsh Fire includes several known cricketers as well, including Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Plunkett, both of whom helped England achieve their first ICC World Cup victory, West Indies paceman Ravi Rampaul, and rising star Tom Banton.
Smith had not only lost his right to be a captain of the Australian cricket side after the ball-tampering incident in 2018, but he was also penalized with a year-long ban from all forms of cricket by Cricket Australia.
David Warner, Smith’s then vice-captain who was also penalized for a year after his role in the ball-tampering incident.
When Smith was asked about his new role, he said,
“It’s an honour to be asked to captain Welsh Fire in the first year of The Hundred.” He further commented,
“Our squad looks super strong with a great group of players who’ve dominated the international and domestic scenes for the past few years.”
Welsh Fire coach Gary Kirsten said,
“Steve’s knowledge and experience of leading teams in pressurised situations will definitely help us in this first season of The Hundred.”
The Hundred is a new tournament in England, which focuses on eight city-based cricket franchises. It breaks away from England’s traditional county system and provides a new spin in English cricket. Teams will bat for 100 balls each with overs lasting for 10 balls and bowlers either bowling five or 10 balls consecutively.
Smith is captaining the Welsh Fire for the tournament, who will start off their campaign against the Oval Invincibles in London on July 17. The side currently does not include any Welsh players.
