Steve Smith and David Warner’s year-long exile has likely left them hungrier than ever and their return can spark Australia to World Cup glory, Test great Shane Warne said on Wednesday. Both they are expected to be rushed back into the Australian side for the defence of their title at the showpiece tournament in England this year.
Warne himself was suspended in 2003 for a year after testing positive to banned diuretic drugs. Many wrote him off, but the leg-spinning legend quickly bounced back and enjoyed several more years playing at the highest level with the Australian team.
“Sometimes having an enforced lay off — like I’m used to, I had 12 months off myself — what that means is you become really fresh,” he told Fox Sports.
“You freshen your mind up, you become hungry again and realise how important cricket is to you.”
Warne said both players would also “have a point to prove” when they eventually pad up again.
“That’s why I reckon Australia can win the World Cup,” he said, despite the team’s recent patchy one-day form.
“They’ll walk straight back in, they’ll be hungry. They’ll be a bit nervous in the first few games but that’ll be good for them, they’ll be excited and I would expect them to play as good as they always have.”
