Steve Smith has undergone a successful surgery for his elbow injury but the banned Australia batsman’s date of return to the cricket field still remains uncertain.

The former Australia skipper went under the knife last month after picking up an elbow injury in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Following the surgery, Smith’s elbow has been placed under a brace for six weeks.

The right-hander currently continues to serve the one-year suspension from international and domestic cricket for his role in the infamous ball-tampering saga. The bans handed out to Smith and David Warner come to an end on March 29 with both the batsmen in the frame to represent Australia in the 2019 ICC World Cup in England.

The elbow injury had put a cloud over Smith’s participation in the World Cup and on Wednesday, his representatives informed Cricket Australia that the surgery had been a success.

Both Smith and Warner are currently sidelined with injuries.

The timeline of Smith’s return though, remains unclear according to Turning Point Management who represent the Aussie batsman.

“Until the brace comes off we don’t know for sure, but all current opinion is that he’ll then have about three and a half weeks (before being ready to play),” Warren Craig of Turning Point Management told news.com.au.

“The intent is that he will play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and then the World Cup and then the Ashes.”

It remains to be seen whether Smith can regain fitness in time for the IPL which gets underway on March 23 later this year. The 29-year-old is due to turn out for the Rajasthan Royals after missing out on the last season.

Meanwhile, the ICC World Cup is due to begin on May 30 with Australia opening their campaign against Afghanistan on June 1 at Bristol.