Warner is a doubt for Friday night, having missed Monday’s loss to the Melbourne Renegades with a knee injury, but a Thunder spokesman said he was expected to play.
“Obviously, he’s still shooting really nice,” Smith said of his longtime former teammate.
“He’s had some really good shots in the last couple of weeks, so he’s obviously dangerous for them.
In addition to the occasion, Ashes hero Mitchell Starc will make his first appearance for the Sixers in 11 years and stage an enticing new-ball battle with Warner.
Smith said Starc was “bowling like an absolute magician at the moment” and was looking forward to his two-match role in the BBL.
“He’s such a workhorse,” Smith said.
“He’s got that resiliency in his body. He knows his body inside out. He’s just been unbelievable all summer … hopefully he can put on a similar show here for the Sixers in the next few games.”
Warner, Smith and Starc (35) are entering the twilight of illustrious careers and Smith’s philosophy is to “take it day by day”. But he also believes players should be judged on performance, not birth certificates.
“Age is just a number,” Smith said.
“If you can still do your job and be the best at it, everything else is irrelevant in my opinion.
“They can only help you, experience from big games. And I think that showed during the Ashes series.”
“We had an experienced team and experienced players know how to win big moments and I think we did it better than England.
The Thunder, who are last in 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 no results from their first eight games, the Sixers are a point outside the top four.
However, if they win against the Thunder and Brisbane Heat on Sunday and the other two results fall in their favour, the Sixers can qualify for the finals in the top spot and secure home court advantage.
“I think if the results go our way, we can still finish first,” Smith said.
“That’s what someone inside said. We’ll focus on what we can do now.”
“Hopefully we win our next two and it will take care of itself … it’s good for the team to be close at the back end. Every game is important. If we win our next two it’s irrelevant.”
Meanwhile, amid reports that the annual pink-ball Test could be scrapped for the next Ashes series in Australia, Smith clearly approved of the prospect, although he admitted he may not be involved.
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“I’m not a big fan of the pink ball,” he said. “I can’t see the thing very well, so I’m more than happy.
“I don’t think I will because of that. For those who like the pink ball, I think it’s a bit of a shame, but I don’t think you need it in an Ashes series.”
“I think you’ve seen the crowds we’ve gotten here for the series for all the red-ball games. I think we’ve pretty much broken records every game. So I don’t think we need it.”
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