Add CategoryCRICKET Australia wouldn’t stand in the way of banned former Test captain Steve Smith or David Warner spending their winter playing county cricket in the UK.
COACHING ROLE: Langer deal not in place
OUTRAGE: ‘They were treated like criminals’
The door has been opened for the suspended duo by former Test batting coach Michael Di Venuto, now coach of Surrey, as he looks for an international replacement for the injured Mitch Marsh.
Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft are banned from playing anything other than club cricket in Australia, but CA has no issues with them playing in the UK, or elsewhere.
Any registrations to play county cricket would need to be approved by the England and Wales Cricket Board, and it’s understood there have been no formal discussions around the matter.
Bancroft had his contract with Somerset torn up amid the fallout from the ball tampering scandal, and he was replaced by recalled Test opener Matthew Renshaw.
But Di Venuto said he would have no problem replacing Marsh with Smith or Warner to play a role in the upcoming county season.
“From an Australian perspective, it is probably important that they play a bit of cricket at some stage,” Di Venuto said.
“So, if they are in the right mental state to play cricket and the ECB will have to allow it to start with, then we’d be mad not to look at some of the world’s best players potentially playing.”
South Africa opener Dean Elgar will play the first half of the season with Surrey in April and May, leaving an international spot open for the second half of the season.
Australia’s next international cricket is not until a one-day series against England in June, and a captain for that series will be confirmed when the squad is named next month, with performances in the Indian Premier League, and injuries, to determine its make-up.
Dates are also yet to be locked in for the next two-Test series against Pakistan in the UAE, with a period sometime in September or October the window suggested.
Last week’s confirmation of a new $1.2 billion TV deal has also prompted an escalation in talks around scheduling for the 2018-19 home summer of cricket in Australia.
Confirmation of the international calendar, including Tests against India and Sri Lanka, with including the potential for up to three pink ball Tests should be confirmed first, with the Big Bash fixture likely to be locked in by June.
— with AAP
LIVE stream the best of international cricket outside of Australia on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week Foxtel Now trial & start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW >