Sheffield Shield: Cam Bancroft’s Test hopes on perilous ice after third-straight failure for West Australia
West Australian opener Cam Bancroft is going to need to pull a rabbit out of his hat when he suits up for Australia A against India next month after a third-straight failure in the Sheffield Shield.
The WA veteran is vying for a national recall and has been in the Test frame across the last three summers as one of the country’s leading run scorers, producing a remarkable 3,061 runs at 42.51 – 778 of those runs coming last summer at 48.62 – in the last five campaigns.
However, scores of zero, zero and eight to open the reigning champion’s shield defence have Bancroft’s hopes of a return to the Test arena on perilous ice.
The poor run comes at the worst possible time for the 31-year-old, who now averages 39.35 in First Class cricket, with Australia in need of an opener for their mouthwatering five-Test home series against powerhouses India.
The back injury to fellow West Australian Cam Green and Steve Smith declaring his experiment at the top of the order over opened the door for Bancroft.
Michael Neser, who is also fighting for a Test recall, had Bancroft’s number in WA’s opening red-ball clash against Queensland at the WACA, handing the opener a pair against the new ball.
Bancroft looked well aware of those scores when he faced up to Riley Meredith in WA’s second clash at the WACA against Tasmania on Monday.
Meredith, who once clocked speeds of around 150km/h in the Big Bash, flirted with the veteran’s outside edge before frustration finally saw Bancroft flash at one, dissect the gap between third slip and gully to get off the mark with a boundary.
He guided the next delivery to the rope with more confidence, but his innings was abruptly ended by Keiran Elliott in the next over, edging one through to the keeper.
Bancroft also spent a few minutes in the hands of trainers for a concussion check after he ducked into a bouncer.
It’s a concerning trend for Bancroft, who has now nicked off three innings in a row, having previously had issues being strangled down the leg side and falling across his stumps for lbws.
However, Bancroft is likely to have five or six more innings before the opening Test of the summer in Perth in November.
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