Cricket Australia reaches out to Cameron Bancroft after revelation on ball-tampering issue

Cricket Australia (CA) has reached out to batsman Cameron Bancroft following his recent statements that suggested that apart from Steve Smith, David Warner and himself, the Australian bowlers were aware of tampering with the condition of the ball during the infamous sandpaper-gate saga during the Newlands Test in 2018 versus South Africa.

WION has learned that CA’s integrity team has got in touch with Bancroft following his statement on the ball-tampering saga which led to the suspension of Warner and Smith for 12 months and Bancroft for nine months.

“Yes, CA’s Integrity Team has reached out to Cameron ” a source in Cricket Australia told WION on Monday.

Bancroft currently is in England to play County Championship for Durham and has so far not responded to Cricket Australia’s Integrity Team mainly due to the time gap between the two countries.

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Earlier, Bancroft said that he wanted to be accountable for his own actions and part in the controversial incident while hinting that bowlers were also aware of the incident.

"Yeah, look, all I wanted to do was to be responsible and accountable for my own actions and part. Yeah, obviously what I did benefits bowlers and the awareness around that, probably, is self-explanatory,” Bancroft told The Guardian.

"I guess one thing I learnt through the journey and being responsible is that's where the buck stops [with Bancroft himself]. Had I had better awareness I would have made a much better decision."

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When Bancroft was asked about whether the bowlers had knowledge of the ball-tampering: "Uh... yeah, look, I think, yeah, I think it's pretty probably self-explanatory."

On the third day of the Newlands Test, Bancroft was caught on camera trying to tamper the condition of the ball. The video clip went viral as Australian cricket witnessed one of its darkest phases.

As the ball-tampering saga unfurled, Smith and Warner were handed a year’s ban while Bancroft was suspended for nine months by the CA. Darren Lehmann, head coach of Australia during the episode, also stepped down.

Earlier, CA’s chief executive Kevin Roberts had said that they had set up an “integrity hotline” if anyone wants to come with more proofs besides the investigation conducted by CA’s head of integrity Iain Roy.