ICC World Cup 2019: Steve Smith likely to miss the tournament due to lack of cricket

The 12-month bans on Steve Smith and David Warner has left the Australian cricket in doldrums over the last one year. They have struggled in all the formats significantly. While the duo’s ban is set to end in March, any team would love to have them straight back into the side. But an elbow injury to Smith followed by his lack of game time ahead of the World Cup could see him missing the tournament.

According to the reports in ESPNCricinfo, a scenario is emerging in Australian cricket where Smith will not be a part of the World Cup squad and instead plays with Australia A side on the tour concurrent to the mega event in the longer format. Cricket Australia might be looking at him to return smoothly for the Ashes which is set to follow the World Cup as elbow injury has more or less ruled Smith out of the Pakistan series in the UAE.

Even Justin Langer also indirectly suggested the same while saying that they will have to think about the best for the team and not individuals. “We’re talking about two great players (Warner and Smith), 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.

“We’ve got to keep our eyes very clearly on what’s best for the team, not what’s best for individuals. That doesn’t work. It’d be hard to do that. It’d be good for some individuals to do that, but we’ve also got to win the World Cup. That’s just the schedule we deal with,” Langer said.

Warner likely to return

Meanwhile, David Warner looks set to return to the game soon after the ban ends on March 29. Australia will be playing the ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE during that period and the left-hander might get an opportunity to stake his claim for the World Cup in that series. Like Smith, even he underwent a minor elbow surgery but it wasn’t a serious injury like the former Australia captain.

It will be interesting to see how the Cricket Australia thinks with the deadline to submit the teams for the World Cup is set April 23 during which the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be in progress.

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