Justin Langer keen to add David Warner, Steve Smith back to international fold before World Cup
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Justin Langer is expecting Steve Smith and David Warner to get into the team as soon as their bans get over. While the duo will be available for selection in late March, their comeback to the international fold may get delayed as both are suffering from elbow injuries and taking rest for the same.
With the full summer of Test cricket behind them, Cricket Australia has redirected all efforts for defending the World Cup title, with white-ball contests in India and UAE (against Pakistan) rounding off their preparations. While Warner and Smith will not be available for the India series, they may be available for selection for the final two games of the Pakistan series once they are match fit, and Justin Langer hinted the same.
"We've got to keep working on how they are with their elbows, first. They're going to need to get some cricket before coming back into the squad. It's all part of the management. We'll have to wait and see. We know it's been a tough time for them, it's been a tough time for Australian cricket, but we know the word integration has been going for the last nine or ten months, or eleven, it's getting closer isn't it,” Langer was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.
“We're talking about two great players, we're not talking about two really good players. Two great players who on paper we'd be crazy not to have them in the team. It's about how much cricket they get to play between now and then. They'll find opportunities. We'll find opportunities, but I can't say anything else," he added.
However, it is understood that only Warner stands in line to play the final two games in UAE with Smith's injury likely to keep him on the sidelines for a longer period. It is also possible that Australia could exclude their former captain from the World Cup Squad and have him instead of playing the concurrently running Australia A series to get him to match ready for The Ashes Tests that immediately succeed the mega ODI event in England.
With Warner being ahead of Smith on the recovery road, is unlikely to see much of A Grade Cricket action in Sydney with his team, Randwick-Petersham, facing an improbable race to make the first-grade finals. Then The 2019 IPL, therefore, will also prove to be an important tournament to prove his fitness and match-readiness.
