Banned Australian cricketers David Warner and Steve Smith may get to return to the fold straight away after their ban gets over as Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts talked about the return of the duo.
Roberts said that the board is in talks about the return of Smith and Warner to the Australian cricket team as their bans get over in March 2019. The duo was banned during the series against South Africa earlier this year thanks to their involvement in the ball tampering scandal.
Australia will be in the middle of a five-match ODI series against Pakistan when the ban of them come to an end. The board is yet to decide whether they will be selected for that series.
"We've had some good early discussions. We're also conscious that we've got a bit over three months to prepare," Roberts told AAP.
"We're in the planning phase. If the draft dates of the Pakistan series remain as they are then it's possible the players will be eligible for selection for the final two matches. That is something we need to consider over these coming weeks."
There isn't clarity about the venue for the ODI series between Pakistan and Australia. The men in green are expecting to host the series in their home to bring cricket back in Pakistan. Australia hasn't toured to Pakistan in two decades because of security reasons.
"We share Pakistan's desire to see more international cricket returning to Pakistan but we've made it really clear that our first priority in that regard is the safety of our players," Roberts said. "We'll never compromise the safety of our players. We've also made it clear that we'll be taking advice from the experts. At this stage, the advice hasn't changed but we'll continue working through that over the next couple of months."
Aussie coach Justin Langer had also spoken about the decision on players who are returning to cricket after the ban.
"There's potential for that, but that's part of the process," Langer had said in Melbourne on Monday. "There are lots of conversations going on about what's best for our bowlers, for the guys returning, and we'll work through that. We'll get the best outcome for Australian cricket and for them personally, but there have been no decisions made at this stage."
(With AAP Inputs)
