Cricket Australia is searching for David Warner’s replacement ahead of their Test series against the West Indies starting on. The first Test begins in Adelaide from January 17 and the Australians have just secured a series victory over Pakistan.
The board is closely monitoring some players with Matt Renshaw, Cameron Green and Cameron Bancroft among the options. However, Steve Smith, with his experience in Test cricket, appears to be Warner’s possible replacement at the top of the order.
Despite scoring a good number of runs in Sheffield Shield Cricket and other forms of domestic cricket, Cameron Bancroft may not be considered part of the Test squad for the upcoming Test series against the West Indies at home and the selectors give him preference to Matt. Renshaw, according to reports.
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Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody in his recent tweet said that Bancroft not being included in the Australian national team despite scoring tons of runs in domestic cricket is completely shocking.
“Recruitment is never an easy task, but Cameron Bancroft’s supervision is impactful. His first-class numbers are so compelling against his peers that it seems there is another agenda that I hope has been honestly communicated to you. #Bancroft,” Moody wrote in his recent tweet.
Selection is never an easy task, but Cameron Bancroft’s oversight is impactful. His first-class numbers are so convincing in front of his peers that it seems there is another agenda that I hope they have honestly communicated to him. #bancroft
– Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) January 9, 2024
Bancroft made his Test debut in November 2017 and played 10 Test matches for Australia over the next two years. He was one of three players involved in the infamous Sandpapergate scandal in the 2018 Cape Town Test. Since then, the batsman has not had many opportunities with the national team, unlike Smith and Warner, who were also involved in the incident.
“The past has been a great terrain for learning things about myself,” he said. “I feel like I definitely owe it to my country to put those lessons into practice. I have always tried to learn from the past and put it into practice for the future and become better as a cricketer and as a person. Everyone makes mistakes in the world and I definitely have in my playing career. It’s pretty obvious that that has 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,” Bancroft said recently, recalling the historic scandal.
Cameron Bancroft played his last test in 2019
Cameron Bancroft is reportedly the top scorer in the last two editions of the Sheffield Shield. He has already scored over 500 runs in just nine innings for Western Australia in the ongoing Sheffield Shield season. In the 2022-23 season he scored almost 945 runs in 20 innings.
The chances of testing being withdrawn for the likes of Bancroft and Marcus Harris will decrease if Steve Smith is chosen as Warner’s replacement.
Harris has not played Test cricket for Australia since early 2022, while Bancroft, who has been the leading run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield for the last two seasons, has endured a longer wait. He has not represented Australia at the Test Arena since an Ashes series against England at Lord’s in 2019.
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