Bad boys join NT event

BANNED cricketers David Warner and Cameron Bancroft have signed up for the NT’s Strike League.

Warner will play two oneday games in the tournament, which features 50-over and Twenty20 fixtures, while Bancroft will be available for the entire event that runs in Darwin from July 1-29.

“I’m really looking forward to playing in the Strike League in July. I heard so much about the competition while I was in Darwin earlier this month that I’m keen to be part of it,” Warner said.

Warner copped a 12-month suspension from Cricket Australia for his role in the Cape Town cheating scandal, with the governing body painting the former vice-captain as the architect of a plan to illegally tamper with the ball.

Bancroft, who carried out the ploy with a piece of sandpaper that he then tried to hide from umpires, was banned for nine months.

The bans cover international cricket, while they are also barred from representing their state or playing in the Big Bash League (BBL).

The duo and sacked skipper Steve Smith were encouraged to play grade cricket as part of their punishment.

Smith’s return to cricket will come during a Twenty20 league in Canada, which runs from June 28 until July 16. GLENN Maxwell wants to captain the Melbourne Stars after the departure of John Hastings. Victorian skipper Peter Handscomb looms as a potential replacement as captain but Maxwell, who captained the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier league in 2017, confirmed he has strong leadership ambitions.

The now 29-year-old said his experience playing around the world in the Australian team and in T20 leagues left him well placed to help guide the all-new Stars to a BBL title.

“I do have leadership aspirations and I have enjoyed the opportunities I have had to be captain. I thoroughly enjoyed it in the IPL,” Maxwell said. “If there is an opportunity to be captain, I’ll certainly take it.”