Australia’s tainted batsmen Cameron Bancroft and David Warner may soon be seen playing competitive cricket as the opening duo is considering the option of playing club cricket. Earlier in April, Cricket Australia had handed bans for Bancroft, Warner and Steve Smith for their part in the Cape Town ball-tampering incident in March. The sanctions prevent them from playing international and Australian domestic cricket but they can take part in club cricket.
Despite all the controversy surrounding David Warner, budding Darwin players were just happy to spend some time on the field, and in the nets, with former Test vice-captain @abcdarwin @abcnews pic.twitter.com/MYOXZ9OvSD
— Lucy Marks (@LucyMarks) May 6, 2018
Cameron Bancroft is expected to make a comeback in the Top End which Northern Territory (NT) administrators hope would see him play in the second edition of the Strike League in July. NT Cricket chief executive Joel Morrison also spoke about the discussions with David Warner to play in “Northern Territory’s version of the Big Bash”.
A short outing in the country’s northernmost region can provide Bancroft and/or Warner some cricket during their respective nine- and 12-month exile. In the aftermath of the incident, both players have lost their overseas playing contracts.
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David Warner’s participation in the IPL was disallowed by the IPL governing council Despite CA’s sanctions allowing the players to feature in overseas domestic leagues. Bancroft’s contract with English county side Somerset was canceled too.
“Once the sanctions were handed down by Cricket Australia and the dust had settled, I reached out to Cricket Australia and then the players’ managers to give them the opportunity to play some cricket over the winter,” Morrison told cricket.com.au on Monday.
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CA’s Morrison further added, “We offered them the opportunity to help them get back and play … if they wanted to pick up the bat sooner rather than later. The opportunity to have the likes of David Warner or Cameron Bancroft, if they’re available and willing to play, would be fantastic for us. It’s very rare that young players from the Northern Territory get exposed to players like that.”
Competition organisers are working towards signing D’Arcy Short, who grew up in Darwin, and Tasmania’s Jordan Silk to feature in the four-team tournament. Asked about Warner’s potential involvement, Morrision said: “He does seem interested. Now we’ve just got to see if the timings align depending on what else he’s up to. But he has shown some interest and we’ll definitely pick up those conversations.”
