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Request an end to rumour-mongering & innuendo: Aus bowlers respond to Bancroft's comments

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Australia player Cameron Bancroft who was one of the three players apart from Steve Smith and David Warner in the Sandpaper gate scandal during the Newlands Test in 2018 made a shocking revelation recently. 

Bancroft had hinted that the bowling unit that comprised Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon did have an idea about the alteration in the condition of the ball. 

Despite not mentioning any name, Bancroft quipped that it was self-explanatory that the bowlers were aware that the ball was scuffed up with sandpaper. 

However, Bancroft has backtracked on that statement now when Cricket Australia's Integrity Unit reached him to gather any additional information on the same. Bancroft claimed that he was affected by the barrage of questions and there was no malevolence behind his remarks. He did reach out to the bowlers to explain his recent comments. 

The Aussie bowling attack that featured in that particular Test has now issued a joint statement saying that they had no idea about the tampering with the ball. 

READ THE FULL STATEMENT HERE: 

To The Australian Public

We pride ourselves on our honesty. So it’s been disappointing to see that our integrity has been questioned by some journalists and past players in recent days in regard to the Cape Town Test of 2018.

We have already answered questions many times on this issue, but we feel compelled to put the key facts on the record again:

We did not know a foreign substance was taken onto the field to alter the condition of the ball until we saw the images on the big screen at Newlands

And to those who, despite the absence of evidence, insist that ‘we must have known’ about the use of a foreign substance simply because we are bowlers, we say this: The umpires during that Test match, Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth, both very respected and experienced umpires, inspected the ball after the images surfaced on the TV coverage and did not change it because there was no sign of damage.

None of this excuses what happened on the field that day at Newlands. It was wrong and it should never have happened.

We’ve all learned valuable lessons and we’d like to think the public can see a change for the better in terms of the way we play, the way we behave and respect the game. Our commitment to improving as people and players will continue.

We respectfully request an end to the rumour-mongering and innuendo.

It has gone on too long and it is time to move on.

Regards

Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon

Bancroft was handed over a ban of nine months for his involvement while the then captain Smith and Warner were banned for one year. Darren Lehmann who was the then coach of the Australian side also stepped from his post. 

 

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Ian Chappell feels Bancroft's future chances will be numbered after recent revelations

Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell is of the opinion that Cameron Bancroft’s recent revelations on the infamous sandpaper gate saga won’t do him any benefit as it might go onto decrease his future chances of representing the national team. In a recent interview to the Guardian, Bancroft hinted at the fact that the bowling cartel was aware of the ball being scruffed up with sandpaper. "Yeah, look, all I wanted to do was to be responsible and accountable for my own actions and part. Yeah, obviously what I did benefits bowlers and the awareness around that, probably, is self-explanatory," Bancroft told the Guardian. His remarks prompted Cricket Australia’s Integrity Unit to reach out to him in order to gather any additional information on the particular incident. However, a report in the Sydney Morning Herald says that Bancroft has backtracked on the issue claiming that he doesn’t have any new information to give. Chappell felt that while it is not ethical to pick and choose players on the basis of likes and dislikes but this has been going on for some time now. When asked whether selection happens on basis of likes and dislikes, Chappell said, "The answer should be 'No,'" Chappell was quoted as saying by Wide World of Sports. "But does like and dislike come into selection? It shouldn't, but it does. Do selectors sometimes pick players, or not pick them, for reasons other than cricket ability? I think it happens occasionally. "It's definitely happened as far as Warner and leadership is concerned," he concluded. Back in March 2018, the tainted trio of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft was involved in the ball-tampering incident at the Newlands in Cape Town. On the insistence of the then captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, Bancroft applied sandpaper on the ball. Getting caught on TV, Bancroft panicked and shoved the small piee of sandpaper inside his trousers. While Warner and Smith was handed one year ban, Bancroft had to be out of competitive cricket for nine months after accepting the charges in the post day presser.

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Bancroft backtracks on ‘bowlers’ involvement’ remark in the Sandpaper gate

Cameron Bancroft, who put fresh fuel to an almost dead fire of the Sandpaper gate saga of Australian cricket by saying that bowlers’ involvement and prior knowledge of what was happening on the ground is self-explanatory, has now backtracked on his claims. The 28-year-old said that he is satisfied with the investigation carried out by Cricket Australia into the 2018 issue. Sydney Morning Herald quoted sources to report that Bancroft called into the Cricket Australia’s integrity committee and explained that he has no substantial or additional proof and that what he said was actually a case of confusion due to the barrage of questions hurled towards him. The Western Australia cricket is further supposed to have contacted the bowers and made a truce with them over the inflammatory allegations. In the interview that Bancroft gave to UK’s Guardian, speaking about the Newlands incident he had said, “Yeah, look, all I wanted to do was to be responsible and accountable for my own actions and part.” On being asked about the bowlers’ involvement in the infamous incident, Bancroft, who is currently playing county cricket in England, 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,” added Bancroft who has played 10 Tests and solitary T20 for Australia. His statements totally contradicted Cricket Australia’s findings which said, “prior knowledge of the incident was confined to three players, Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft."