Warner is in some doubt for Friday night, having missed Mondayโs loss to Melbourne Renegades with a knee injury, but a Thunder spokesman said he was expected to play.
โHeโs obviously still batting really nicely,โ Smith said of his long-time former teammate.
โHeโs had a couple of really good knocks in the last couple of weeks, so heโs obviously a dangerous player for them up top.โ
Adding to the occasion, Ashes hero Mitchell Starc will make his first appearance for the Sixers in 11 years, setting up an enticing new-ball battle with Warner.
Smith said Starc was โbowling like an absolute wizard at the momentโ and was looking forward to his cameo two-game stint in the BBL.
โHeโs such a workhorse,โ Smith said.
โHeโs got such resilience in his body. He knows his body inside out. He was just incredible throughout the summer โฆ hopefully he can put on a similar show here for the Sixers in the next couple of games.โ
Warner, Smith and Starc (35) are all entering the twilight of illustrious careers, and Smithโs philosophy is to โtake it day by dayโ. But he also believes players should be judged on performances, not their birth certificates.
โAge is just a number,โ Smith said.
โIf you can still do your job and youโre the best at it, everything else is irrelevant, in my opinion.
โIt can only help you, experience in big games. And I think that showed out during the Ashes series.
โWe had an experienced squad, and experienced players know how to win big moments, and I think we did that better than England.โ
The Thunder, who sit last on the points table after two wins from nine games, will be playing for pride against their cross-town rivals, but there is much more at stake for the Sixers.
After four wins and a no-result from their first eight games, the Sixers sit a point outside the top four.
But if they can win against the Thunder and Brisbane Heat on Sunday, and two other results fall in their favour, the Sixers could qualify for the finals in top spot, securing home-ground advantage.
โI think if the results go our way, we can still finish first,โ Smith said.
โThatโs what someone inside was saying before. Weโll just concentrate on what we can do now.
โHopefully win our next two and it will take care of itself โฆ itโs good for the comp if itโs close towards the back end. Every game is important. If we win our next two, itโs irrelevant.โ
Meanwhile, amid reports that the annual pink-ball Test could be dumped for the next Ashes series in Australia, Smith clearly approved of that prospect, although he admitted he might not be involved.
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โIโm not a big fan of the pink ball,โ he said. โI canโt see the thing very well, so more than happy.
โI donโt think Iโll be around for that. For those that like the pink ball, itโs a bit of a shame I suppose, but I donโt think you need it in an Ashes series.
โI think you saw the crowds we got for the series out here for all the red-ball games. I think we pretty much broke records for every game. So I donโt think we need it.โ
