SYDNEY: Australia batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner will play their first domestic Sheffield Shield matches in almost two years when they turn out from Thursday for New South Wales against Queensland.

Neither player has appeared in a four-day match Shield since November, 2017 when both also appeared for New South Wales against Queensland.

The pair missed all of the 2018-19 season while serving 12-month suspensions for their role in the March, 2018 ball-tampering incident in South Africa.

They were named on Monday to play for New South Wales in the first round of the 2019-2020 season along with Australia team-mate Mitchell Starc.

Smith and Warner returned to Test cricket during the Ashes series in England in August and September.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2019