Steve Smith and David Warner will not be rushed back into the Australia side as soon as their bans expire next month but coach Justin Langer thinks it would be ‘crazy’ not to include them in the World Cup squad.

The former test captain and vice-captain, Australia’s best two batsmen, will become eligible for state and international cricket on March 29 after serving one-year bans for their part in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal.

The prospective return of both has been complicated by elbow injuries with Smith’s more serious problem requiring major surgery and likely to sideline him right up to the expiration of his ban.

Disgraced duo David Warner (left) and Steve Smith will not be rushed back into the Australia team when their bans for ball-tampering expire on March 29

Smith in action for the Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League last month

Coach Langer, who will prepare sides for both the World Cup defence and Ashes tour over the next few months, said the timing of their international returns would depend both on the injuries and also on how much cricket they were able to play.

‘They’re going to need to get some cricket before coming back into the squad. It’s all part of the management. We’ll have to wait and see,’ he said.

‘We know it’s been a tough time for them, it’s been a tough time for Australian cricket, but we know the … integration has been going for the last nine or ten months … it’s getting closer, isn’t it? And that’ll be a continued process.

‘It’s about how much cricket they get to play between now and then. They’ll find opportunities. We’ll find opportunities.

‘We’re talking about two great players, we’re not talking about two really good players,’ he added. ‘Two great players who on paper we’d be crazy not to have them in the team.’

David Warner in action for Randwick-Petersham during a Grade Cricket match in November

Australia’s former Test captain Steve Smith breaks down in tears after returning from the tour of South Africa last March

Warner, the former Australian vice-captain, in tears following his admission of guilt in the ball-tampering scandal at Newlands

With both retained by their franchises for this year’s Indian Premier League beginning on March 23 and Australia playing an ODI series against Pakistan in March-April, there will be plenty of opportunities for them to show their form and fitness.

Australia must select their squad for the World Cup on April 23 and Smith’s agent poured cold water on reports that the former skipper might skip the tournament in favour of preparing for the Ashes with some red ball cricket.

‘The intent is that he will play in the IPL and then the World Cup and then the Ashes,’ Warren Craig told Cricket Australia’s website.

Nantes fans felt the spirit of former No 9 Emiliano Sala after their side scored a ninth minute opening goal against Toulouse.

Sala went missing during a flight between Nantes and his new club Cardiff and his former side viewed Kalifa Coulibaly’s strike in the 2-0 win as a moment that was destined to happen.

Captioning an image of Sala being put on the big screen in their ground, Nantes tweeted: ‘Obviously we score in the ninth minute, obviously.’

Supporters paying tribute to Emiliano Sala during Nantes’ match against Toulouse on Tuesday

Nantes scored in the ninth minute of the clash and it was taken as a sign by fans and the club

Fans weighed in after the Nantes tweet went up, with one replying: ‘What a symbol’.

@Romeus2222 wrote: ‘From where he is, he continues to watch over us and make us score a goal’.

@Rayorebeld was far simpler in his tweet, simply writing: ‘Thank you Emiliano’.

Robotic submarines are currently being used in the mission to recover bodies onboard the crashed plane which was carrying footballer Sala to start his career with Cardiff.  

Sala was travelling to Cardiff after his transfer when the plane carrying him disappeared

Specialist underwater machines and marine scientists are being used to assess the wreckage of the doomed aircraft 220ft down on the seabed of the English Channel after it was finally found on Sunday.

Mr Sala and pilot David Ibbotson were on the light aircraft when it went missing after leaving Nantes, France on January 21.

An official search ended after four days but world renowned marine scientist David Mearns spearheaded a new search.  

The plane is approximately 67m underwater.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed on Monday that a body had been detected in the plane by remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) scanning the site.

A spokesman for the AAIB said: ‘We are attempting to recover the body. If we are successful, we will consider the feasibility of recovering the aircraft wreckage.

‘Strong tidal conditions mean we can only use the remotely operated vehicle for limited periods each day and this will mean that progress is slow.

‘Regardless of the results, we will not be making a further statement until the families have been informed.’