Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc not retained by Welsh Fire before The Hundred draft

Welsh Fire have released its superstar Australian duo - Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc - for the inaugural edition of The Hundred this year.

Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc, who were signed at top-band contracts originally, have not been retained as per the full lists of men's retentions announced by the English Cricket Board (ECB).

It is understood that franchises in The Hundred were allowed to retain as many players as they wanted during this window which is now closed. The men's sides will now pick and choose the remainder of their squads in the upcoming draft scheduled on February 23.

Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Williamson, and Andre Russell are amongst the big overseas names who have re-committed to the competition's postponed first edition. The New Zealand skipper expressed his excitement on staying at Birmingham Phoenix and playing with the likes of Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes:

"I'm really pleased to be staying at Birmingham Phoenix. It's always been great to play against Moeen [Ali] and Chris [Woakes] and it'll be exciting to line up alongside them. You want to test yourself against the best and that's what The Hundred is all about."

The Hundred: List of players announced on Wednesday

The Hundred Draft

Birmingham Phoenix: Shaheen Afridi, Thea Brookes, Chris Cooke, Gwen Davies, Liam Livingstone, Isabelle Wong, Kane Williamson

London Spirit: Charlie Dean, Mason Crane, Freya Davies, Joe Denly, Hannah Jones, Glenn Maxwell, Sophie Munro, Roelof Van Der Merwe, Mark Wood

Manchester Originals: Georgie Boyce, Natalie Brown, Ellie Threlkeld, Alex Hartley, Emma Lamb, Wayne Madsen, Matt Parkinson

Northern Superchargers: Aaron Finch, Beth Langston, Brydon Carse, Chris Lynn, John Simpson, Linsey Smith, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Oval Invincibles: Sam Billings, Sarah Bryce, Alice Capsey, Laurie Evans, Jo Gardner, Will Jacks, Sandeep Lamichhane, Dane Van Niekerk

Southern Brave: Amelia Kerr, Fi Morris, Craig Overton, Andre Russell, Marcus Stoinis, Ross Whiteley

Trent Rockets: Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ben Cox, Lewis Gregory, Nancy Harman, Lucy Higham, D'Arcy Short, Luke Wood, Luke Wright

Welsh Fire: Qais Ahmad, Amy Gordon, Ryan Higgins, David Payne, Liam Plunkett