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Warner set for commentary return

Channel Nine confirm suspended opener will join coverage for Australia's second ODI against England

Banned Test opener David Warner will be a voice on Channel Nine's television coverage of Australia's one-day international series against England next week.

Warner, who is preparing to make a return to the playing field in the coming weeks firstly in Canada and then in Darwin, will join Nine's commentary team for Australia's clash against England in Cardiff on Saturday.

That game will be the second of a five-ODI, one-T20 International tour a depleted Australian side, led by new captain Tim Paine and new coach Justin Langer, is playing in the United Kingdom. After victories in two warm-up games this week, the series begins proper on Wednesday at The Oval.

Match wrap: Aussies dominate at Lord's

Four of Australia's five ODIs in England will be broadcast on 9GEM, but the second match of the series will be shown on Nine's main channel. The one-off T20 at Edgbaston will also be shown on 9GEM.

"Dave is the best one-day and T20 batsman of the past decade so he's perfectly placed to join our coverage for the UK series," Nine's director of sport Tom Malone said.

"People have tried to paint Dave as the villain in all this, but he's been hurting as much as the others.

"We've had a professional relationship with Dave for five years now we've always found him to be a pretty normal and humble bloke. He just wants to atone for his mistakes and move on - I hope Australia gives all of them that chance."

Warner was suspended for 12 months for his role in the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal earlier this year (captain Steve Smith and opener Cameron Bancroft were also banned) and has been barred from holding any leadership position for the rest of his career.

His sanctions do not extend to overseas domestic leagues or Australian Premier Cricket, paving the way for his return with the Winnipeg Hawks in the inaugural Global T20 tournament in Canada later this month before a brief stint in the Northern Territory Strike League in July.

While Nine will no longer broadcast cricket during the Australian summer, the network's association with cricket has not ended completely having signed a deal in 2013 to broadcast Australia's 2015 and 2019 Ashes tours to the UK, along with ODI and T20 series the Aussies play on British soil.

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Cricket Australia signed a new $1.182 billion, six-year agreement with the Seven Network and Fox Sports earlier this year. 

Australia's limited overs matches in England have traditionally been played before or, as was the case in 2015, immediately after the Ashes Tests.

But given next year's World Cup will be staged in the UK prior to the 2019 Ashes series, it was decided to move the white-ball games forward to this year to provide some crucial match practice ahead of the showpiece event.

Qantas tours of England and Zimbabwe

ODI squad: Tim Paine (c), Aaron Finch (vc), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye

England ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (injured), David Willey, Chris Woakes (injured), Mark Wood

T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth

Qantas Tour of England

June 7: Australia beat Sussex by 57 runs

June 9: Warm-up v Middlesex, Lord's

June 13: First ODI, The Oval (D/N)

June 16: Second ODI, Cardiff

June 19: Third ODI, Trent Bridge (D/N)

June 21: Fourth ODI, Durham (D/N)

June 24: Fifth ODI, Old Trafford

June 27: Only T20, Edgbaston (D/N)

Qantas T20I tri-series Tour of Zimbabwe

July 1: Zimbabwe vs Pakistan

July 2: Pakistan vs Australia

July 3: Australia vs Zimbabwe

July 4: Zimbabwe vs Pakistan

July 5: Pakistan vs Australia

July 6: Australia vs Zimbabwe

July 8: Final