Bancroft named as county’s lead man

THE expected hostile reception set to greet Steve Smith and David Warner in England hasn’t deterred county side Durham from appointing Cameron Bancroft, the third member of the ball-tampering trio, captain for the upcoming season.

Bancroft finished a ninemonth ban for his part in the scandal in December, and has been backed by Durham offi- cials to lead the Lions in fourday and one-day games from next month.

Former Test batsman Marcus North, also a Western Australian, is the director of cricket at Durham and coach James Franklin said Bancroft’s experience appealed to them as a successor to former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood.

The appointment comes nearly a year to the day since Bancroft, playing in his eighth Test, was caught taking a piece of sandpaper to the ball against South Africa in Cape Town.

Bancroft (right) later said he was acting under pressure from Australia vicecaptain Warner, who along with then-captain Smith was also banned for their part in the incident.

“We’re confident he has the attributes to lead this exciting young Durham dressingroom,” Franklin said.

“He has invaluable experience at the top level and has enjoyed a successful spell in England before, during his time with Gloucestershire.

“He’s proven since returning to first-class cricket over the last few months that he has the mental toughness, skill and attitude to excel at the highest level.”

Bancroft will miss the first game for Durham as he completes his duties with Western Australia, and could miss more games if he’s picked to play as part of the Australia A team before the Ashes in Britain.

Since his return to playing, Bancroft made 298 runs in the T20 Big Bash League for the Perth Scorchers, and has compiled 392 runs, including a century and three fifties, in eight Sheffield Shield innings.

The question of whether counties should allow Australia internationals to gain additional ‘‘local knowledge’’ ahead of this year’s Ashes remains a thorny issue in English cricket.