Smith relishing Hundred experience with Welsh Fire

Steve Smith made his Australia debut in 2010

Australia batter Steve Smith has seen most things during his cricketing career.

Smith, 36, has scored more than 10,000 runs in Test cricket and almost 7,000 in limited-over internationals.

But he will experience something new next month when he lines up for the Welsh Fire in The Hundred as he comes to terms with the 100-ball format.

"It is going to be great to play something a little different," said Smith.

"I am going to need somebody to sit me down probably before the first game and run me through all the intricacies, having not played this format before.

"It's a wonderful concept. It is about going pretty hard for the entire 100 balls and that is what the crowd want to see."

Smith was originally signed by Welsh Fire for the planned first year of The Hundred before it was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

This year is the first in which teams have been able to sign one men's and one women's player directly via private negotiations, rather than having to sign players through The Hundred draft.

So Welsh Fire snapped up Smith for their men's side.

"It has been on my bucket list to try and play in The Hundred and fortunately the Welsh Fire picked me up," said Smith.

"Everyone who has played in the tournament has said it is great fun and a good competition."

Welsh Fire open their tournament at Northern Superchargers on 7 August, before hosting London Spirit in Cardiff two days later.

Australian influences in Wales

Steve Smith (right), Marnus Labuschagne (centre) and David Warner (left) were part of the Australia team who won the World Cup in 2023

Welsh Fire's home games are at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, the ground where he achieved his highest T20 international score of 90 against England in 2015.

"It is nice and short straight and not the biggest of grounds, so decent for the batters generally," said Smith.

"It is going to be great fun going over there.

"From what I have heard there are some wonderful crowds there in Wales during the past few years. Hopefully people come out and support us again and we can entertain them."

Smith will not be short of familiar influences - or Welsh advice. The Welsh Fire coach is Michael Hussey, while Smith's current Australia team-mate Marnus Labuschagne has had regular playing stints with Glamorgan since 2018.

"Marnus loves it in Cardiff and Wales," said Smith.

"He is going to give me some recommendations of restaurants and coffee shops. I will get all of his expertise and get myself ready to go.

"I am also looking forward to working with Mike. He is so passionate about the game. I played with Mike the first couple of years I played with Australia and loved how he went about his business. I assume he will be very similar as a coach.

"He works extremely hard and gets everybody as prepared as they can be for every situation they will be faced with."

English team-mates and franchise cricket fun

Jonny Bairstow is a World Cup-winning opener and the first England batter to score three consecutive One-Day International centuries.

Smith will also link up at Welsh Fire with England batter Jonny Bairstow, who is looking to return to the international one-day set-up.

"He is a class player, particularly with the white ball. He smacks it around the park," said Smith.

"I saw recently he said he wants to get back into the England white ball set-up, so I am sure he has a bit of a point to prove.

"He is going to come out nice and aggressively and I am looking forward to spending some time in the middle with him."

Smith has his own international ambitions as he looks to make the Australia T20 team for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

He has already experienced cricket in the United States of America. He has a close relationship with Washington Freedom owner Sanjay Govil, who has bought a 50% stake in Welsh Fire.

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

"It is great for the game there are so many tournaments around the world as we try to grow the game," said Smith.

"I have played in the MLC in the USA, which is a market that has been untapped for a long time and that was good fun.

"Having the opportunity to go and play in different places around the world is cool and see how different people prepare and it no different with Welsh Fire.

"I am looking forward to seeing how Jonny Bairstow goes about his business and what makes Tom Abell tick and how they train and play.

"That is one of the reasons I like playing in these tournaments so much."

Follow the Hundred 2025 with double-headers on BBC TV and iPlayer every Tuesday and Saturday, commentary on every match on BBC Sounds and live text updates on the BBC Sport website and app.

Welsh Fire squad

Men's: Tom Abell (capt), Steve Smith (o), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Luke Wells, Stephen Eskinazi, David Payne, Paul Walter, Riley Meredith (o), Chris Green (o), Saif Zaib, Josh Hull, Mason Crane, Ajeet Singh Dale, Ben Kellaway.

Women's: Hayley Matthews (o), Tammy Beaumont (capt), Jess Jonassen (o), Shabnim Ismail (o), Sarah Bryce, Georgia Elwiss, Freya Davies, Georgia Davis, Emily Windsor, Beth Langston, Sophia Dunkley, Katie George, Katie Levick, Charley Phillips, Alex Griffiths.

Overseas players are indicated with (o).