No Free Ride to Darwin For David Warner And Cameron Bancroft

Disgraced Australian cricketers, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft need to pay their own fare to Darwin for their appearance in the Northern Territory Strike League in July. However, they won’t be given any match payments either.

The duo confirmed their participation in the tournament. Warner will be part of the squad for just two one day matches. On the other hand, Bancroft will be available for the full length of the tournament. They will be not be paid for the entire duration of the tournament.

In addition, to that, they will need to pay for their own flight and accommodation. The NT cricket meanwhile is also trying to include more than five other states and the Big Bash League’s (BBL) contracted players. They will join the tainted duo in playing for and against the club as soon as possible.

The likes of D’Arcy Short was part of the inaugural season of the Strike League in 2017. Jake Weatherald and Alex Ross were also part of the tournament. The NT cricket is hoping to finalise a list of around 6-10 professional cricketers including Warner and Bancroft for this year’s tournament.

CEO Joel Morrison is optimistic about the fact that the local amateur cricketers can match up to the abilities of some of the best players in the world.

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“We’re more than comfortable that our local players will be able to hold their own,” Morrison was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

“David and Cameron are exceptional players and they’ll be a level above, but that’s part of the challenge for our local players to test themselves against those skills. That will enhance their development,” he added.

Morrison remarked they are looking forward to giving their best in the local league.

“Last year showed that our players held their own. So we’re very excited about the chance our players will have to play alongside Cameron and David,” he added.

The tournament also serves as a chance for Bancroft and Warner to complete some of the 100 hours of volunteer work in the cricketing community.

Well, they are required to do it as a part of their punishment programme from Cricket Australia (CA). It came due to their involvement in the ball-tampering scandal a couple of months ago in Cape Town, South Africa.

Matches will be played only on weekends:

The amateur nature of the competitions means matches will be played only on weekends. It gives Bancroft and David Warner enough time between the games.

“Cameron will have to play and training commitments. But given he’ll be up here for the whole month, he’ll have plenty of time to help out depending on what opportunities are up here,” Morrison said.

“We’ll sit down with the players, WA Cricket, Cricket NSW and Cricket Australia and make sure we have an open conversation about what the opportunities might be. We’re working with their respective organisations to make sure what they do is reflected in their community time,” he concluded.

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