Australia will nonetheless be richer for their presence, and the duo's carefully orchestrated reunion with team mates has been smoothed by some cracking performances since their recovery from elbow injuries.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday came out in strong support of India captain Virat Kohli and requested the International Cricket Council to take note of Australian skipper Steve Smith's 'brain fade' in seeking dressing room's advice for a DRS referral in the second Test.
The Australian Cricketers' Association have always contested the bans were overly-harsh and have continued to push for all three to be able to return to representative cricket immediately.
South Africa were 215 for two in reply to England's 180 all out at the close of the second day of the fourth and final Test at the Wanderers on Friday.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes says batting tips from Australia captain and Indian Premier League team mate Steve Smith was key to helping him improve as a player following a hugely successful debut season in the lucrative Indian Twenty20 tournament.
'Every facet of their Test team has to improve. They are kidding themselves if they think everything will be rosy when Smith and Warner come back'
South Africa were 138 for seven at the close of the second day of the second Test against South Africa at Kingsmead on Saturday.
Langer said Smith and Warner's experience made them natural authority figures and that their leadership would be 'crucial' for success on and off the field.
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson powered Rajasthan Royals to a commanding seven-wicket victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers.
'Given there is now independent verification that CA's system and culture were contributory factors, the ACA calls for the lifting of the board-imposed penalties on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft'
However, Rajasthan would be a bit more desperate than Delhi as they are languishing at the second last position in the points table with just three wins from nine outings.
'Countering Yasir is Australia's number one priority'
'Smith never attempted any such thing when he was captain at Pune last year.' 'You can't try this in a T20 match.'
Luminaries call for Cricket Australia chairman to resign
It is every cricketer's dream to be acknowledged by Sachin Tendulkar, and spinner Kuldeep Yadav who made his Test debut against Australia on Saturday, was showered with praise by the cricket legend as he weaved a wrist spinner's web around the tourists during the decisive fourth Test in Dharamsala.
Minor tweaks to his bowling after the lunch break made all the difference for left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe who claimed a career-best six for 35 to put Australia ahead in the opening Test against India on Friday.
Half-centuries from Graeme Smith, Gulam Bodi and A B de Villiers steered South Africa to a five-wicket victory with 19 balls to spare in the first one-day international against Zimbabwe on Wednesday.
As Steve Smith and David Warner padded up at suburban Sydney cricket grounds over the weekend, the warm spring sunshine may have seemed fitting weather for the banned Australian cricketers to take a small but important step in their rehabilitation.
Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh hit centuries but Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath picked up six wickets to restrict Australia's first-innings lead to 24 runs on the third day of the third and final Test on Monday.
Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) president Greg Dyer said the contrition of the players should be taken into account along with the precedent -- no player has previously received more than a one-match ban for the offence -- and a lack of due process in the Cricket Australia probe.
South Africa needed just 11.3 overs to overhaul Pakistan's score of 129 for 8.
Steve Smith and David Warner may wake with some relief on Thursday as they greet the final day of their ball-tampering bans
Steve Smith accused South Africa wicketkeeper Quniton de Kock of setting off a heated dispute by making a personal remark to David Warner
Duo to serve out bans in full, deems Cricket Australia
Australian coach and selector Darren Lehmann believes that his team displayed a shoddy fielding performance on account of lack of confidence during the Melbourne Test against India despite having a good practice session.
The fourth Test ended in a draw late on day five, with home captain Smith's unbeaten 102 saving Australia and doling out another portion of frustration for England's bowlers, who toiled fruitlessly on a flat Melbourne Cricket Ground strip.
Third Test, Day 2: Smith scored 104 and De Villiers made an undefeated 122 to anchor South Africa's total of 253 for one.
'I thought it was probably one of the worst bowling displays that we've put on for a very long time'
An insatiable David Warner blasted a career-best 179 and dominated Australia's highest ever one-day partnership with fellow centurion Travis Head to help secure their 57-run victory in the fifth and final match against Pakistan on Thursday.
Captain Steven Smith defends beer logo on Australia shirts.
Graeme Smith's powerful century led South Africa to a commanding 368 for three on the first day of the first Test against West Indies.
'It was really good fun out there, I absolutely loved every single minute of it.'
Though some sponsors of Australian cricketers have pulled individual sponsorship deals, the decision by Magellan suggests the financial impact of the episode will go to the core of a sport seen by many Australians as the embodiment of fairness.
Indian Premier League chairman Rajeev Shukla said Rajasthan Royals will wait and see what sanctions the ICC imposes on Steve Smith before taking a call on his future as the franchise's captain, following a ball tampering scandal that prompted, among others, even Australia's prime minister to react.
A player guilty of ball-tampering could now be banned for up to six Tests or 12 Oone-dayers after the International Cricket Council introduced harsher sanctions at its five-day Annual Conference in Dublin.
'Behind the scenes, he's into it every day, making sure everyone is okay. I've been so proud of him as a leader. He's a different leader to Michael, to Ricky, to Taylor, to Waugh. And he's working out his own identity as a captain'
It has been learnt that BCCI has emailed the documents along with video footage of the incident to the ICC, pressing Level 2 charges under the global body's Code of Conduct.
During the drinks break, Kohli trotted out onto the field laden with drinks for his teammates, which earned him a resounding applause from the stadium and the commentators went gaga.
It was not long ago that Australia wicketkeeper Tim Paine was considering giving up the game entirely. Now he is set to captain the team as they look to pick up the pieces following the ball-tampering scandal.
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