Smith, Warner returns provide as many questions as answers for Australia

London, March 29: Any Australia captain would expect to be sternly tested in a year that features a Cricket World Cup and an Ashes series, but Aaron Finch and Tim Paine are set to face particularly challenging examinations of their leadership credentials as they prepare to welcome Steve Smith and David Warner back to the international fold.

Twelve months on from the sensational ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town that prompted suspensions, recriminations and plenty of tears, Smith and Warner are now available to play at the highest level once again.

Ahead of the expiry of their year-long bans, Australia's former skipper and second-in-command, who were sanctioned by their country's cricketing governing body along with opening batsman Cameron Bancroft, met up with the ODI squad in the United Arab Emirates this month.

Somewhat predictably, Smith, Warner and head coach Justin Langer - appointed as the successor to Darren Lehmann soon after last year's controversy erupted - all offered glowing reviews of that reunion, each man sure to reference the importance of the team's "values" at every opportunity.

Yet while the returns of two of the world's best batsmen would appear to provide obvious positives for Australia in such an important year, Finch and Paine will surely be aware that the comebacks of Smith and Warner could also act as destabilising influences for a team that finally appears to be heading in the right direction.

Australia endured plenty of on-field misery in the aftermath of the ball-tampering saga. A humiliating 492-run defeat in the fourth Test against South Africa – after Smith, Warner and Bancroft had been sent home - was followed by a limited-overs humbling at the hands of England and further series losses across all three formats before 2018 was up.

However, there were encouraging signs for the Test team as they beat Sri Lanka 2-0 on home soil earlier this year after going down 2-1 to India, while recent Australian ODI displays have been nothing short of magnificent, with a stunning series win from 2-0 down in India preceding three emphatic thrashings of Pakistan in the UAE.

Intriguingly, 50-over skipper Finch has found top form in the ongoing rubber with Pakistan, compiling successive scores of 116, 153 not out and 90 to seemingly end any debate over whether he will retain the captaincy for the World Cup that begins at the end of May.

In a sense, though, the success of Finch and Australia over the last few weeks has only made things more complicated. Smith and Warner - who are both in Indian Premier League action at present - remain likely to earn immediate recalls in England given their hugely impressive records, but their availability is now set to provide a bigger headache than many may previously have imagined, with the team in such superb form.

Rather than approaching a major event with their best XI locked down and every player aware of their precise role in the team, a scenario you could reasonably expect after six successive away wins against high-calibre opponents, Australia face the prospect of two significant changes being made just before the World Cup begins.

If that has the potential to damage morale in certain quarters, the fact Smith and Warner are returning to international action in England is also far from ideal.

The pair would anticipate plenty of scrutiny and reminders of their transgressions in any circumstances, but English fans and media alike will doubtless be particularly persistent in bringing up the subject.

It remains to be seen how Australia's players react to that situation and there are many other unanswered questions.

Will Smith and Warner really slot seamlessly back into the dressing room? Or will some of their team-mates harbour resentment?

Can Finch and Paine fully exert their authority – in high-octane situations - over two men who were previously above them in the hierarchy?

And perhaps the biggest elephant in the slip cordon … if Paine continues to struggle for Test runs at the start of the Ashes, how awkward will it be for Australia to have Smith, who boasts a stunning average of 61.37 and plenty of experience as the chief decision-maker, in the side but unable to take over as skipper? The former captain is barred from taking a leadership position for at least another 12 months.

This month's carefully managed meeting in the UAE, complete with talk of "hugs and cuddles", represented the first step in the reintegration of Australia's fallen stars, but the answers to these posers will only become clearer as the pressure ramps up during the World Cup and Ashes.

Turning around a listing ship in the absence of two marquee players has proven a stern challenge for Australia over the past year. Smith and Warner may be set to come back on board, but that does not mean it will now be plain sailing.