Smith takes tips from Red Sox

It could be a new tradition for Australia's cricket captains – throwing the ceremonial first pitch at a Major League Baseball game in the United States. Michael Clarke paved the way with the St Louis Cardinals in 2014 and now Steve Smith has followed suit with the Boston Red Sox.

Fresh from leading Australia's one-day team to victory in the Caribbean tri-series with the West Indies and South Africa, Smith stopped off in Boston before his next official engagement in Sri Lanka.

There he toured the famous Fenway Park facility and met with Boston's all-star second baseman Dustin Pedroia where he swapped the flat face of a cricket bat for the rounded slugger used in the diamond game.

Smith's natural flair and ability was quickly evident as he made good connection, sending balls deep into the Fenway outfield, but wasn't able to land a home run and clear the park's famous "Green Monster" – an 11.33m high wall in left field that has thwarted many would-be hitters.

"He had a good swing … it was pretty cool to watch," Pedroia said.

"He looked good, anytime you can come out and hit balls like that, without doing it (regularly) it's pretty impressive."

Smith launches one at Fenway Park batting practice // supplied

Smith, in typical Steve Smith style, was busy critiquing his technique and looking for ways to improve.

"It took me a little while to get into it, I was hitting the ball a bit more up, a little bit more like how a cricket bat should go," the Australia skipper said.

"But I think you've got to hit it a bit more 'down', to get the backspin on the ball to get some more distance.

"Unfortunately I couldn't get one over the 'Green Monster'."

Pedroia, with a game to play the same day, declined the opportunity for a skill swap and didn't try his hand at cricket, claiming he "did not want to embarrass myself". The Red Sox later lost to the Los Angeles Angels 21-2.

Before that match began, Smith was involved in the traditional pre-game activities, spray painting the home plate with a fresh coat of white paint, and later throwing out the first pitch.

Kyly Clarke threw the first pitch at St Louis' Busch Stadium ahead of a match against the Chicago Cubs, with then Australia captain Michael catching at home plate when they visited the US in April 2014.

A memory for a lifetime! Check it out, me hitting up Busch Stadium for last nights first pitch & hubby @MClarke catching @rawlingssg @cardinals #greattimes A video posted by K Y L Y C L A R K E (@kylyclarke) on Apr 12, 2014 at 5:47pm PDT

It makes Steve the first Australian cricket captain to complete the time-honoured tradition along rock stars, celebrities, US presidents.

Unlike most, however, Smith is a noted fieldsman and accurate thrower with a powerful arm. And instead of gently lobbing the ball in, Smith unleashed his arm cannon over the full 18.4m with a rocketing throw. A little high and a little wide - a baseball is a little bigger and a little heavier after all - and caught the unsuspecting female member of the Red Sox support staff acting as a catcher off guard.