Australian cricketers David Warner and Steve Smith have begun their journey towards a cricketing comeback as they have begun pre-season training with the New South Wales squad before going to Canada for the Global T20 tournament.
On Monday, Warner posted a photo of himself along with some NSW teammates who returned to preparing for the season after a break.
"Great to get back into it today with @cricketnsw was awesome to be in and amongst the lads," he wrote.
Warner, Peter Nevill and Steve O'Keefe were training with NSW at the Centennial Park in Sydney, while Steve Smith spoke to students at the Knox Grammar School in Sydney about mental health.
Both Warner and Smith were stripped of their leadership positions and have lost close to five million dollars each in terms of sponsorships and contracts. The duo will continue to be banned and stay away from international cricket till March of 2019.
The sentences from Cricket Australia which was also handed to Cameron Bancroft (9 months) restricts the lot from domestic T20, one-day and first-class cricket in Australia. The troika though are free to play in domestic leagues around the world and train with their state teams.
The right-handed Smith has already been spotted at the nets at the Sydney Cricket Ground, while Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are expected to up the ante in terms of rehab after their injuries.
The Global T20 Canada event which begins on June 28th, will be the first time Warner and Smith return to the field since they were banned in South Africa.
The left-handed Warner will go to Darwin after completing his Toronto stint, and Smith is expected to continue training privately after the same tournament.
Pakistan pace icon Waqar Younis will coach Warner at Winnipeg, while Smith's Nationals are being mentored by former West Indies coach Phil Simmons.
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