Australia captain Tim Paine is expecting to have Steve Smith and David Warner available for the 2019 Ashes series.
Former Australia captain Smith and his deputy, Warner, were given 12-month bans and handed restrictions on future leadership positions following the ball-tampering scandal.
The duo were part of a ‘leadership group’ that encouraged Cameron Bancroft to rub sandpaper on the ball during Australia’s Test series in South Africa.
Smith and Warner are expected to return to Australia’s international side when their suspensions expire in March and the next Test series will be the Ashes in the summer.
“We know how good they are and hopefully once their bans are up they'll be welcomed back and they will win Test matches like they did before,” said Paine, after Australia clinched a series victory against Sri Lanka, their first triumph since the 2017/18 Ashes.
“I think everyone to a degree has to earn their stripes. I think those two have got plenty of runs in the bank if you like.
“Look, I see us going to the Ashes and them having a huge part in us winning the series. That's how I see how important they are to this team.
"What we have seen over this summer is we are starting to build a squad with plenty of depth. There's probably anywhere between 16 and 25 players we think are now in the mix, which is a really good place to be," Paine added.
"I've been dreaming about it actually. I'm happy now that we've got this (Sri Lanka series) out of the way and I can put everything into it because every Australian cricketer can't wait to go and play an Ashes series, particularly in England."
Much of Australia’s 2-0 home win is down to the return to form of Mitchell Starc. The second 10-wicket test haul of his career in Canberra against Sri Lanka was a harrowing reminder of the ease that he rattled through England’s top order as part of a formidable attack along with Pat Cummings and Josh Hazlewood.
Cummings, who took four wickets over Sri Lanka’s two innings, has risen to third in the Test bowling rankings, only topped by James Anderson and Kagiso Rabada, and his captain paid tribute to him after a year of injury disruptions.
"I felt as the summer went on, he actually got better and better," Paine said.
"The more he bowled it felt like the quicker he was bowling and the more accurate he was bowling. He's right up there.
"He bowls probably at times when the ball is not doing as much and the wicket's a bit flatter. His ability to just get it done in all conditions, whether it's moving around or not, is second to none."
