BANCROFT FLOPS ON RETURN FROM TAMPERING BAN
MELBOURNE: A nervous Cameron Bancroft’s return from his ninemonth ban for ball-tampering did not go to plan on Sunday when he was out to the third ball he faced in the Big Bash League. The 26-year-old was picked by Perth Scorchers despite having played only club cricket since he was caught trying to use sandpaper to alter the ball in Australia’s Test against South Africa in Cape Town in March. He came in at No 4 after Hobart Hurricanes had reduced Scorchers to 16/3 and played the first ball off his pads to square leg for two. Bancroft blocked another one before getting an edge off Riley Meredith to Matthew Wade behind the stumps. Despite his quick exit, he was applauded by the crowd at Launceston in Tasmania as he trudged off. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who was commentating on the game, said he spoke to Bancroft beforehand and he was “really, really nervous”. “He was a little bit worried about the pace these boys might be bowling at him as he’s only played club cricket for the past few months,” he said. “He said to me that even going out on this wicket he’s sure everything was going feel like it’s a Test match at the WACA,” said Ponting, referring to the notoriously quick Perth ground. Bancroft re-emerged into public life with an explosive interview last week in which he confirmed
David Warner, who was banned for a year, asked him to rough up the ball. He claimed he went along with it “to fit in” and because he “didn’t know any better”.
Labuschagne added to Aus squad for SCG Test
MELBOURNE: Leg-spinning all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne was on Sunday added to Australia’s squad for the fourth and final Test against India in Sydney, beginning Thursday. Australia had previously named a 13-man squad for both Melbourne and Sydney but have added South Africanborn Labuschagne for a match they must win to prevent India from securing their first-ever series victory Down Under. “We’ll get up to Sydney and have a look at the conditions,” skipper Tim Paine said in confirming Labuschagne’s inclusion. “From what we’re hearing, it’ll probably spin quite a bit.” Squad: Afinch,p Handscomb, M Harris, T Head, U Khawaja, M Labuschagne, M Marsh, T Paine (captain) N Lyon, S Marsh, P Cummins, P Siddle, M Starc and J Hazlewood.