Smith in battle to regain Australia place

Ex-captain must shine in IPL to make World Cup Spell in county cricket would be ideal for Ashes

It would have been unthinkable not that long ago to have speculated that Australia could leave Steve Smith out of their World Cup squad but that is the scenario he faces as he begins a spell with the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. Smith plays his most highprofile game today, against Kings XI in Jaipur, since the ball-tampering scandal engulfed his career in Cape Town just over a year ago.

He was sacked as captain of Rajasthan Royals in the aftermath, losing a £1.3million contract last year.

Now he is back, ready to rebuild his career but fighting for his World Cup place, too. Smith is at his most dangerous with a point to prove, but needs an explosive IPL to guarantee his place in the World Cup in England, a challenge made harder by injury and the emergence of others. It is believed Smith turned up last week in India still unable to throw properly as he recovers from surgery to his right elbow.

The most sensible option, with one eye on the Ashes, could be to leave out Smith and let him play county cricket instead, which would put him in England while the World Cup is on and in position for a call-up in the case of injury to another player. Yorkshire could be one destination, and First Division cricket against the Duke ball would be ideal preparation for an Ashes series that offers Smith a chance to restore his reputation.

Australia’s one-day side have moved on in his absence too. An incredible 3-2 win in India recently has been followed by more consistency against Pakistan in the UAE with Peter Handscomb emerging in the Smith role in the middle order. It is hard to see how both play in the same batting line-up unless Smith can prove in the IPL he can be more than the anchor the rest bat around.

David Warner, who hit a blistering 85 off 53 balls for Sunrisers Hyderabad on his return to the IPL yesterday, will go straight back into the ODI side as Australia do not have the players to make up for his absence. Smith, however, was fading in ODI cricket before his ban.

The 12-month bans given to Smith and Warner end on Friday and they met up with Australia colleagues in Dubai before going to the IPL.