While all eyes are fixed on the impending Test returns for Steve Smith and David Warner, Cameron Bancroft has pushed himself into contention for an Ashes spot following his match-winning unbeaten 93 in Australia’s intra-squad warm-up game.
The top-order batsman is bidding to return to international cricket after serving his nine-month suspension for tampering with the ball in South Africa last year and his innings on Wednesday will boost those hopes massively.
Bancroft’s gritty unbeaten innings of 93 on a difficult surface at Southampton led the Graeme Hick XII to a five-wicket win over Brad Haddin XII and he could now be the favourite to open the batting with Warner in the first Ashes Test against England.
In fact, Bancroft and Warner were the only batsmen to cross the 50-run mark in the warm up clash.
Australia skipper Tim Paine took note of Bancroft’s display in the second innings and praised the right-hander’s application at the crease.
“I thought Bangers (Bancroft) played unbelievably well. To get basically a hundred on that wicket was an unbelievable effort. I thought what it showed is Bangers’ toughness,” Paine said.
Bancroft’s 93 was the highest score of the match.
“The reason the guys were getting stuck on the crease a lot is because the odd ball was jumping up at them. That can play on a guy’s mind, and mix with a batsman’s feet, particularly when they are bowling the speeds the guys were.
“But that just shows the mental application and toughness that Bangers has got, to keep going forward, to keep wearing balls on the body. The boys think he has a bit of a screw loose but he seems to enjoy getting hit on the body, it seems to make him bat better. He was superb in that second innings.”
Australia’s selection committee is set to announce the squad for the Ashes series on Friday. The first Ashes Test between the two arch-rivals gets underway at Edgbaston on August 1.