Smith in talks to join Welsh Fire

Australia batter Steve Smith has confirmed he is in talks to join Welsh Fire for The Hundred this summer.

This would be the 35-year-old's first time playing in The Hundred, although he was due to captain Fire in 2020 before the tournament was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Smith is better known for his exploits in Test and 50-over cricket but does have four T20 centuries to his name, averaging 32.43 with a strike-rate of 129.97 in the format across his career.

"I'm in discussions at the moment so we'll wait and see," he told BBC Sport.

"From what I've heard, it's a wonderful tournament to be involved in so we'll keep those conversations going and we'll see how we go over the next couple of days."

Smith has a close relationship with Washington Freedom owner Sanjay Govil, who agreed to buy a 50% stake in Welsh Fire last month.

Freedom won the second season of Major League Cricket with Smith as skipper and Ricky Ponting as coach.

Smith is currently in Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, where he will captain Australia in Pat Cummins' absence.