Smith adds stardust and the hope is that he can give his new teammates, now including Glamorgan’s Ben Kellaway, a little bit extra while also piling on the runs.
“He’s going to bring a huge amount to the team,” said captain and Somerset batter Tom Abell.
“His record speaks for itself, he’s a great guy and a world-class player who has done it in all formats at the very top level.
“His influence on the team will be huge. He has been the best player in the world for a good number of years and that will hopefully give everyone an extra little bit of confidence.
“Anyone wants Steve Smith in their team, don’t they? Luckily he will be playing for us.”
The Australian has passed 10,000 runs in Tests, 5,000 in ODIs and 1,000 in international T20s.
“Even Jonny Bairstow, who has played 100 Test matches, is asking what Steve Smith is like to play with,” said coach Mike Hussey.
“He will bring a lot to the team, and hopefully a lot of runs, experience and star power.”
Fire men missed out on the eliminator on net run rate in 2023 and won just two of six fixtures that beat the weather last year.
It took until the fifth fixture to get a success and Hussey does not want to be playing catch-up this August.
“All the teams are pretty strong so we are going to have to hit the ground running,” said the Australian.
“Hopefully we can play some really good cricket, get some confidence going early and then see how we go.
“I don’t know how far we can go, we are hoping to go all the way but obviously you need a lot to go your way.”
