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Australia’s on-field and off-field plans for the World Cup will form the crux of a team meeting with Steve Smith and David Warner in Dubai.
The incumbent ODI squad has landed in the UAE for their five-match series against Pakistan.
Smith and Warner will soon briefly join the touring party during a stopover en route to their respective Indian Premier League franchises.
It will mark the first time the disgraced duo, now serving the final fortnight of their year-long bans, have formally been part of the team environment since the Cape Town cheating scandal.
“It’s the perfect opportunity to get us all together, to talk about some of our plans for the World Cup,” coach Justin Langer said.
“Keep reiterating the messages about our gameplans on the field, keep reiterating the messages about what’s important for us as a group off the field.
“Because they go hand in hand.
“It’s going to be really good to see them. We’re all looking forward to catching up.”
Langer and captain Aaron Finch have fostered a fantastic team culture in a short space of time, as reflected by Australia fighting back from 0-2 down to win their five-match series against India.
Successfully managing Smith and Warner’s reintegration will be critical if Langer’s charges are to have the same dynamic at this year’s World Cup and Ashes.
“This is just part of the process,” Langer said of the Dubai meetings.
“What’s happened has happened.
“We have to keep moving forward. We’ve had lots of conversations with the boys … we keep talking about the World Cup coming up.”
The visit will come while the ODI squad is enjoying a break from training.
Smith and Warner’s returns have been carefully planned by Langer, Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts and interim team-performance boss Belinda Clark.
Langer has previously noted it would be unfair on the team plus Smith and Warner if they just returned to the fold without any plan.
Smith and Warner won’t hit the nets in Dubai.
Their first training session in the green and gold after copping life-changing suspensions will come during a World Cup training camp in Brisbane in early May, provided there no hiccups in India.
Allan Border Field will also be the scene of their returns for Australia, with Langer’s team set to face New Zealand in a couple of practice matches.
Australia’s World Cup squad must be submitted by April 23, with Warner and Smith both fully expected to make the cut.
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