'Team boosted' as David Warner and Steve Smith join Australia's World Cup training camp
David Warner joins pre-World Cup training camp
David Warner and Steve Smith have been welcomed back to the Australian team as they gathered for a pre-World Cup training camp.
The duo returned to the national side for a World Cup training camp in Brisbane after serving year-long bans for their part in the "sandpapergate" scandal in Cape Town that stunned cricket fans around the world.
World Cup; an opportunity for redemption
Australian coach Justin Langer said the players have joined with "no tension" as the World Cup offering another opportunity for redemption.
"There is no tension," a smiling Langer told reporters. "They're back in the team now. They've been selected, which is brilliant."
Team boosted by Warner & Smith's presence, says Langer
Langer acknowledged the need for some adjustments for the former team leaders, but said the team would be boosted by their added experience to the side.
"When you come from the titled position of captain then there is going to be a certain degree of humility that comes with that," he said.
"One of our really strong values is humility, so there will be great opportunity to develop that."
Stepping into the World Cup with 8 wins in hand
The Aussie coach welcomed the selection dilemma Smith and Warner added to the top order, joining Aaron Finch, Usman Khawja and Shaun Marsh, made it "exciting to have those five 100-makers at our disposal".
Australia are the reigning World Cup champions and have been in recent red-hot form winning eight one-day internationals on the trot, against India and Pakistan.
Flexible middle order of the team
Shaun Marsh, Smith, Glenn Maxwell and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis make up the middle order.
"There's so much flexibility in our order and there will be a lot of options," said Finch.
There's been a couple of hard decisions made on the 15, but there's going to be some even tougher ones with the 11.
Selectors opted for two spinners in Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon and five quick bowlers.
Will make Australia proud again
Warner said the team needed to use every tournament on the calendar to "make Australians proud of us again".
"We must make the most of every opportunity that comes up, including this World Cup," Warner added.
Solid form in the IPL
David Warner has enjoyed a solid comeback in Indian Premier League 2019, topping the competition batting rankings with 692 runs from 12 innings.
While Steve Smith found form in the latter half of the tournament, scoring 319 runs in 12 innings.
)
)
)
)
)