TORONTO CALLING:

SMITH AND WARNER BACK ON DECK

IT might be a tiny tournament, on a ground without a permanent grandstand, but Steve Smith and David Warner have been reunited in Canada to begin what’s being dubbed “The Redemption Tour”.

For the first time since the turmoil in South Africa in late March, the deposed Australian captain and vice-captain are back, preparing to play cricket again for the first time since they were banned (from the top level) for 12 months over the ball-tampering scandal.

The organiser of the quirky T20 Global League kicking off in Toronto tomorrow at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club believes Smith and Warner have a duty to repair the damage caused by the balltampering scandal — a responsibility he says the pair have actively embraced.

“The redemption tour starts with us,” says Jason Harper, the tournament director.

Smith trained yesterday with his new Toronto Nationals teammates at a local sports field without authentic pitches, where mats were laid down as temporary wickets for net practice. Warner spent the night getting to know his new Winnipeg Hawks teammates, including Canadian locals like the country’s former captain, Rizwan Cheema.

These are Smith and Warner’s first steps towards playing for Australia again, but they have involved a commitment to boosting the profile of cricket in a “minnow” nation where unheralded teenagers at ice hockey summer camps are far bigger news than the “Universe Boss” Chris Gayle touching down.

Despite the ban imposed by Cricket Australia and the magnitude of the fallout, Harper said he had no trepidation in headhunting Smith and Warner to headline his tournament.

“They were willing and interested. We pitched it to them about the growth of the game and the kids it can impact,” he said.