Bancroft suggests Australia’s bowlers were aware of ball tampering

Former Test opener Cameron Bancroft has suggested Australia’s bowlers were aware of ball tampering in South Africa.

His comments, made to the UK’s The Guardian newspaper ahead of his return to English county club Durham, will bring back the memories of the seismic events at Cape Town that rocked Australian cricket three years ago.

Cameron Bancroft is questioned by umpires Richard Illingworth (left) and Nigel Llong on that famoyus day in Cape Town.Credit: AFP

Former captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were banned from international cricket for 12 months and sacked from their leadership positions following the incident. Warner was banned for life from holding an official leadership role and Smith for two years.

Bancroft, who was caught with sandpaper on the field, was suspended for nine months.

In a wide-ranging interview, Bancroft reflects on his path back from suspension and accepts full responsibility for his actions at Cape Town, but it is the comments he makes to journalist Donald McRae about who else was aware of his actions that will shock many.

Bancroft, according to McRae, gave a “long pause” when asked if the bowlers knew what he was doing.

“Yeah, look, all I wanted to do was to be responsible and accountable for my own actions and part,” Bancroft said.

“Yeah, obviously what I did benefits bowlers and the awareness around that, probably, is self-explanatory. I guess one thing I learnt through the journey and being responsible is that’s where the buck stops [with Bancroft himself]. Had I had better awareness I would have made a much better decision.”

Asked again if some of the bowlers knew, “Bancroft’s hesitation is even longer”, McRae wrote.

“Uh … yeah, look, I think, yeah, I think it’s pretty probably self-explanatory,” Bancroft said.

Bancroft’s comments are at odds with the Cricket Australia investigation in 2018 that found that “prior knowledge of the incident was confined to three players, Steve Smith, David Warner an Cameron Bancroft”.

A CA spokesman said the organisation was aware of Bancroft’s comments. CA, under former chief executive Kevin Roberts, had asked anyone with new information about the incident to come forward, but no reports have been made, he said.

Bowlers in the team at the time said that they were not aware of any plot to tamper with the ball.

“We obviously have ball maintenance people in the team, usually batsmen because they are in the circle and the bowlers field at fine leg,” Hazlewood told Fox Sports in 2018. “They look after the ball from time to time and if it stops swinging, normally it starts to reverse swing.

“We pretty much get it at the top of our mark one second before we start running in. We have a quick look to see which side of the ball is more worn than the other.”

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