Top two back for title tilt

STEVE Smith and David Warner’s possible returns to the Australian cricket team for next year’s Ashes will coincide with the start of the ICC’s Test championship.

The ICC last week set a 2019 start date for the two-year championship, culminating in a final between the top two teams in 2021 in England.

Next year’s Ashes are seen as the ideal starting point for the tournament.

“This summer is the last season of the Futures Tour cricket as we know it, in that we move to the Test championship with the Ashes in July of 2019,” Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland told SEN radio this week.

“It will be the first series of the Test championship.”

The possible returns of Smith and Warner will fit nicely for an Australian line-up lacking top-order experience.

Opener Cameron Bancroft will also be available, and will be able to play in the second half of this year’s Australian summer after his nine-month suspension stemming from the ball-tampering saga.

Details of the Championship are yet to be announced, however the ICC confirmed last week each team would play three home-and-away series.

Sutherland was also hopeful the introduction would help allow Australia to host more pink-ball Tests without opposition from visiting sides.

He is still trying to push a day-night Test in Adelaide across the line for summer’s series against India. But the December fixture was left with a yet-to-be confirmed date when the schedule was released this week.

“We’re hoping there will be some kind of regulation in there that allows home teams to fixture at least one daynight Test match,” he said. “As we know, the Adelaide Test in that day-night format has been a huge success.

“India may or may not come around to that idea, but I still believe it’s the way of the future and I think everyone in world cricket knows that.”