The Hundred | Steve Smith to lead Welsh Fire in upcoming season
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Steve Smith will lead the Welsh Fire franchise in the upcoming season of the Hundred, the 100-ball cricket tournament that will commence later this year. Smith will lead a strong Welsh Fire side that is coached by Gary Kirsten and includes the likes of Mitchell Starc, Tom Banton and Ravi Rampaul.
Smith, who lost the Australia captaincy for his role in the ball-tampering scandal in 2018 in Cape Town and was given a year-long ban by Cricket Australia, will be leading the Welsh Fire in the first season of The Hundred. The Welsh Fire franchise includes Smith's teammate Mitchell Starc, and also English T20 superstars Jonny Bairstow and Tom Banton. The side also boasts of a strong spin-bowling attack with South Africa's Simon Harmer and Afghanistan's Qais Ahmed leading the charge with the ball.
The newly-appointed captain expressed his delight over getting the opportunity to lead the franchise and stated that it's an honour for him to lead the Welsh Fire side.
"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," revealed Smith, reported CricketNext.
The Hundred is a new tournament consisting of eight city-based franchise sides, breaking away from England's traditional county system. Teams will bat for 100 balls each with overs lasting for 10 balls and bowlers either bowling five or 10 balls consecutively.
Gary Kirsten, the coach of the franchise, further expressed that the team will cash in the knowledge and experience of the world's number on Test batsman.
“Steve's knowledge and experience of leading teams in pressurised situations will definitely help us in this first season of The Hundred," said Kirsten.
Welsh Fire will play their first match of the season against the Oval Invincibles at The Oval on July 17.Â
