Cricket Australia joins chorus for Cameron Bancroft to reveal others who knew about ball-tampering

Cameron Bancroft has hinted Australia’s bowlers may have known about the infamous sandpaper plan, in an explosive interview that has reopened old wounds.

Cameron Bancroft is carrying cricket’s version of a live grenade after being invited to bare his soul about the ball tampering scandal.

CA’s national team’s manager Ben Oliver has confirmed his body’s integrity unit have been in touch with Bancroft offering the chance to pursue his insinuation that Australia’s bowlers knew he used sandpaper on the ball in the infamous 2018 Cape Town Test.

CA contacted the Australian batsman after he claimed in an interview with England’s Guardian newspaper his actions helped the bowlers and “the awareness around that, probably, is self-explanatory.’’

Bancroft’s interview has set the flickering embers of the ball tampering scandal ablaze with former captain Michael Clarke claiming on radio the bowlers had to know sandpaper was being used on the ball.

Oliver said Bancroft, who is playing county cricket in England, is yet to reply to the invitation.

Watch The 2021 NRL Telstra Premiership Live & On-Demand with No Ad-Breaks During Play. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

Peter Handscomb (right) alerts Cameron Bancroft that he been caught cheating during the infamous 2018 Cape Town Test.

The matter has already become awkward for CA with interim chief executive Nick Hockley refusing to answer a question about it at a brief press conference on Monday.

“We have maintained all the way through if anyone had any new information relating to that incident we encourage them to come forward and discuss it with CA,’’ Oliver said.

“Our integrity team has reached out to Cam extending that invitation if he does have any new information.

“There was obviously a thorough investigation of that incident. There were actions taken on the back of that and since that time everyone involved in the team has worked incredibly hard to rebuild confidence and make Australia proud of the cricket team.’’

Clarke said bowlers have a deep awareness of the state of the ball.

“They’ve got to hold the ball to bowl with it,” Clarke said on his Sky Sports Radio Big Breakfast show.

Bancroft shows the umpires his sunglasses cloth after he was accused of cheating.

“So, if there’s sandpaper being rubbed on the ball they have to get the ball back to the bowler and the bowler has to hang on to it before he lets it go.

“If you are playing sport at the highest level you know your tools that good it’s not funny.

“Can you imagine that ball being thrown back to the bowler and the bowler not knowing about it?

“Please.”

Clarke said “the problem Cricket Australia has is the fact they have tried to sweep it under the carpet”.

Potential Test captain Pat Cummins with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Nathan Lyon bowled in the match where Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on the ball.

Meanwhile, Test great Adam Gilchrist believes Cricket Australia is paying the price for a swift and superficial ball tampering investigation which failed to address the root of the problem.

Gilchrist believes it is only a matter of time before “names are named”.

Adam Gilchrist believes it is only a matter of time before “names are named”.

“It will linger forever, whether it is someone’s book or an ad hoc interview,” Gilchrist said on SEN’s Gilly and Goss.

“Eventually I think names will be named. I think there are some people who have it stored away and are ready to pull the trigger when the time is right.

“The fallout is going to linger on and on because pretty much most teams in the world were doing something with the ball in that period. It was getting out of control.

“I think Cricket Australia are responsible for why this will be continually asked. When they did their investigation at the time they had Patty Howard the High Performance general manager, Iain Roy was the integrity officer.

“They went there and did this very quick review of that isolated incident and perhaps no-one in the team knew. Perhaps Cam did grab the sandpaper on his own accord and walked out there and did not tell anyone.”