AUS vs WI: Cameron Bancroft Insists 'No Lingering Issues' With Australia Bowlers; Expects National Team Spot
With David Warner announcing his retirement from the Test and ODI format, Australia needs his replacement. Australia is currently in search of an opener and Cameron Bancroft, who was involved in the infamous Sandpapergate scandal is also one of the options that can open the innings for Australia in red-ball cricket. He has recently insisted that there are no lingering issues between him and the bowlers involved in the infamous Cape Town Test of 2018 which includes current skipper Pat Cummins.
Cameron Bancroft has been the leading run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield over the last two years and is one of the big names in the mix who can open the innings against West Indies after David Warner’s retirement post the Sydney Test against Pakistan. He has played only two Tests since the ball-tampering incident in Cape Town. He played two Test matches in the Ashes 2019 and since then he has been dropped from the Test squad.
Cameron Bancroft’s comments in his interview which he did in 2021 where he talked about the bowlers knowing what was going on angered the bowlers involved in the match to the degree that they issued a joint statement denying any knowledge of the ball-tampering plans during the Cape T0wn Test. The bowlers involved in that match were Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh and Nathan Lyon.
Although, Pat Cummins is not a selector he definitely had informal conversations about the opener’s slot and Cameron Bancroft is confident that enough time has passed for everyone to move on and he feels that they would be able to play together. “It’s his cricket team, he’s the captain. No doubt he’s got his feelings and opinions and things like that,” Bancroft told reporters in Sydney ahead of facing his former BBL club Perth Scorchers.
“Knowing Pat as well, he’s a professional too and I have no issues that he wouldn’t be very logical and professional around making that decision. I still run into those players plenty of times over the last couple of years. I’ve certainly felt nothing but business as usual with how you interact with people. What’s happened in the past has been and gone now. I know those guys feel the same,” said Cameron Bancroft
“The Australian cricket team has moved forward, they’ve been really successful. I’ve also moved forward with my cricket and my career also, trying to work on my own game as a cricketer and to work on myself as a human being. They play their cricket in the same brand as well and I feel like it wouldn’t be an issue should I come into the environment,” he added.
Cameron Bancroft Has Had A Terrific Last Two Years With The Bat
Cameron Bancroft was back in the Test squad as soon as his ban was lifted alongside Steve Smith and David Warner. He played two Tests in the 2019 Ashes series where he opened with David Warner. After that, he was in and out of the Australian side before being dropped because of his bad form. However, the past two years have been brilliant for him and he expects a recall from the national team.
“The past has been a great ground to learn things about myself,” he said. “I feel like I definitely owe it to my country to put those lessons into play. I’ve always tried to learn from the past and put that into place for the future and be better as a cricketer and as a person.”
“We all make mistakes in the world and I’ve definitely done that in my playing career. It’s pretty obvious that’s been the case for me. One of the lessons I’ve probably learned over time is to take control of your own actions and responsibilities.”
Cameron Bancroft is a specialist opener and he thinks that a specialist opener should be considered above the likes of Cameron Green and Marnus Labuschagne who are in contention for the role of an opener. Apart from Bancroft, Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris are also there to fill up the opener’s slot and both of them have huge potential. It will be interesting to see who will open the batting for Australia now in the red-ball circuit.
