‘Nervous’ Smith, Warner want to fit in, says Finch

SHARJAH: Australia's limited-overs captain Aaron Finch has revealed that Steven Smith and David Warner were "nervous" in their meeting with the current ODI squad in the UAE, stressing that the process was about making sure the former leaders were aware of what they needed to do to fit in with a vastly different set-up in the wake of their bans over the Newlands scandal.

Smith and Warner were captured on a Cricket Australia video news release suggesting that they had slotted seamlessly back into the team they are still banned from representing until March 29.

Both batsmen are now bound for the IPL, where they will attempt to make the runs that will help justify their likely selection in the squad for the World Cup in England and Wales. In response to questions from the team media manager, Warner said "it's like we didn't really leave", while Smith offered a near echo with "it's almost like we never left".

However, Finch spoke more frankly about the meeting, which took place minus injured fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, and felt that the imminent returns of Smith and Warner would take some adjusting to by both parties.

"It was a really good few hours we had with them," Finch said. "It's always a bit tougher when it's just in a meeting-type setting, but it was good to get them in. They came in with almost bright eyes. It's a totally different set-up to when they left it.

"What's important is they're really keen to slot back into how this current side works and what we've been doing really well. They were probably as nervous as anyone coming back into the group - you'd think guys with 20-odd Test hundreds would just come back in. But it is a different time and they have been out for quite a while."

"But their respect for the group and everything was fantastic. I think it's about managing not just their expectations - but everyone's expectations - first up." Since Smith and Warner were banned alongside Cameron Bancroft, Australia have taken on a new coach in Justin Langer, while CA was subject to a cultural review that arrived with many damning conclusions for the governing body and the national team.

For all that introspection, many questions about Newlands and its lead-up remain unanswered, leaving Finch wary of how the presence of Warner and Smith with the team would be received in England.

"The reality is there's going to be a lot written and said about their returns. We'd be very naive if we didn't expect that," Finch said. "But for us it's about concentrating on what we can do as a side…it might just be not reading the news for a couple of days, which is at times easier said than done.