Steve Smith will lead Welsh Fire in English cricket’s new format tournament The Hundred competition two years after being banned from the Australia captaincy for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa during the Cape Town Test in 2018. Along with him, the then vice-captain David Warner and Cameron Bancroft too got banned. While Warner got banned for one year, Bancroft faced a ban for nine months by Cricket Australia.

However, Steve Smith will lead a side that includes Australia pace-spearhead Mitchell Starc as well as England World Cup-winners Jonny Bairstow and Liam Plunkett, along with rising star Tom Banton and West Indies pace bowler Ravi Rampaul.

Both Steve Smith and David Warner are back at the Newlands ground in Cape Town for a series-deciding third Twenty20 international against South Africa and they were expected to face the criticisms for their involvement in the ball-tampering scandal.

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“It’s an honour to be asked to captain Welsh Fire in the first year of The Hundred,” said Smith. “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 added: “Steve’s knowledge and experience of leading teams in pressurised situations will definitely help us in this first season of The Hundred.”

Steve Smith will lead the Welsh Fire – the team which currently does not add any Welsh players yet, in the competition’s opening game away to Oval Invincibles in London on July 17 as well. The Hundred is a new format tournament that consists of eight city-based franchise teams, replacing England’s traditional county system in this process. Both the teams will bat for 100 balls with overs lasting for 10 balls and the bowlers either bowling five or 10 balls on a row in the tournament as per the rules.