MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Western Australia will be quick to welcome former test batsman Cameron Bancroft back to the fold once his ball-tampering ban expires in December, the state team’s coach Adam Voges has said.
Opener Bancroft was banned for nine months for his part in the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal, which also led to 12-month suspensions for former Australia captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner.
While Bancroft’s ban expires on Dec. 29, Voges said he expected the 25-year-old to be ready to slot into the Perth Scorchers’ lineup on the following day for their clash against Hobart Hurricanes in Australia’s Big Bash Twenty20 competition.
“One thing I do know about Cam is he’ll be prepared,” Voges said in comments published on Cricket Australia’s website (cricket.com.au).
“I know he won’t have played any high-level competitive cricket for a period, but it certainly hasn’t stopped him from trying to improve.
“He’ll be ready to go. I see a real possibility that he’ll come straight back in for that game.”
Governing body Cricket Australia is considering a submission from the Australian Cricketers’ Association, the players’ union, to lift the ball-tampering trio’s bans immediately.
The ACA made the request following the release of the Longstaff review into Cricket Australia’s culture which blamed the board in part for the ball-tampering crisis in South Africa.