Bancroft to make BBL return for Perth Scorchers after ball-tampering ban expires

Melbourne: Former Australia opening batsman Cameron Bancroft has been rushed back into the Perth Scorchers’ squad in the domestic ‘Big Bash’ Twenty20 competition following the expiry of his ban for ball-tampering on Saturday.

Bancroft was banned from international, state and Big Bash cricket for nine months for his part in the Cape Town scandal, which also led to 12-month bans for former Australia captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner.

Bancroft, who was permitted to play for his Perth club Willetton during his ban, could make his Big Bash return against Hobart Hurricanes on Sunday.

“Thank you to every person, group, team and community I have come across over the last 9 months. You know who you are,” the 26-year-old Western Australian wrote in a post on his Instagram account.

Bancroft broke his silence on the ball-tampering affair on Wednesday, casting Warner as the instigator of the plot to manipulate the ball’s condition with a piece of sandpaper during the test match against South Africa.

Smith and Warner remain suspended until the end of March.