It’s welcome back to sandpaper trio

THE reconciliation process in Australian cricket is complete with the announcement Cameron Bancroft will join Steve Smith and David Warner in the squad for the Ashes.

The Cape Town trio will be back in the baggy green for the first time since the “Sandpapergate” incident rocked the game in March last year.

Bancroft was banned for nine months while the senior pair were banished for 12 months for their roles.

All three suffered terribly in the wake of the public humiliation, but Smith and Warner made it back into the Australian camp earlier than the younger batsman when they were named in the recently completed World Cup.

There was conjecture some, if not all, may never play again, but they fought through the despair and have found their way back.

Chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said last night that Warner, Smith and Bancroft had earned their selection. “David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft have forced their way back into the Test squad through the excellence of their recent performances,” Hohns said.

Veteran Victorian Peter Siddle won the fierce battle for one of the bowling places in the extended 17-man squad alongside Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson.

It was further reward for the workhorse whose skill set and years of experience in English conditions have been rewarded when in the past selectors have favoured pace over poise.

Siddle looked to have been abandoned in recent years but was brought back by coach Justin Langer who rang him during a county stint in England last year and told him that he thought his international career was not finished.

Hohns is confident this Australian squad can retain the urn and end an 18-year Ashes drought in England.

“We have chosen 17 players as this gives us the cover and flexibility we believe we will need to ensure we are in good shape throughout a demanding schedule of five Test matches in just over six weeks” Hohns said.

“We believe the squad is an excellent blend of high-quality batsmen and top-class fast bowlers, plus Nathan Lyon, who we regard as the world’s best off-spinner in all conditions. It is a good mix of all the talents.

“We have not won an Ashes series in the UK since 2001 but we are confident that this group of players can break that cycle and ensure we retain the urn that we won at home in the summer of 2017-18.”