“I can’t change what happened in South Africa and that’s something I’m completely accountable for” © Getty
Cameron Bancroft, the former Australian opener and one among the banned Australian trio, is all ready to resume playing competitive cricket and has set his sights on a successful return to international cricket following a ‘rollercoaster’ ride after the ball-tampering saga in Capetown.
“The last couple of months have been a bit of a rollercoaster. You certainly ride the waves of grieving,” Bancroft said. “There have been times where I’ve felt really sad, there have been times where I’ve felt really angry. Right now I’m feeling really good though.”
“But overall, I’ve worked really hard on myself, been really busy with a lot of things and right now it’s just another step forward, heading up to Darwin to play some cricket and I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.
The 25-year old Western Australian, who will travel to Darwin to take part in the Northern Territory’s Strike League, reflected on the heart-wrenching episode that kept him out of the game and admitted to being ‘accountable’ for whatever happened.
“I can’t change what happened in South Africa and that’s something I’m completely accountable for,” Bancroft said. “Everything since South Africa I’ve moved towards stepping closer to one day getting back and playing cricket for Australia again. What anyone else thought or said didn’t change the fact that I made a really bad decision and I’ve had to really forgive myself for that error I made.”
“When you’re in the media a lot, good or bad, it can be really challenging to deal with, really changeling to digest the different opinion that flies around,” he said.
“Because that’s what it was, there was a lot of opinion, a lot of people saying things. For me, in that situation, it was about me and my mistake and the poor decision I made. It’s all a part of moving forward with it all. The media reacted appropriately to the situation and what happened and I have no anger or judgment or resentment for that,” Bancroft reasoned.
Bancroft also chorused the ordeal that his mates (Warner and Smith) had to suffer and maintained that ‘keeping in touch’ has helped each other get through ‘these difficult times’.
“I speak to them quite regularly, at least every week,” he said. “Whether that’s a phone call or messages, they’re obviously very busy with some things too. They’re two really great people and we’ve been looking after each other. That’s a value that we really hold closely at the WACA, is this idea of looking after your mates. We’ve been going through all of this together and we definitely look out for each other, that’s for sure,” he said.
The gritty opening batsman also cited several reasons that helped him renew his strength, Including learning a new language, mastering the art of meditation and community work.
“I’ve been practicing a lot of yoga, I started learning a new language – I’ve learnt Spanish for six weeks,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot of community work, so I went up to Broome and worked the Kyle Andrews Foundation and worked with kids with cancer. I’ve done some work with (Perth charity) Manna at a few schools, feeding kids at a breakfast club. They’ve all just given me really great perspective.”
Albeit down, Bancroft didn’t let his sense of humour take back seat when he mentioned ‘how learning Spanish links to playing cricket for Australia again’.
“I love the game, I love playing cricket and as hard as it would seem to connect how learning Spanish links to playing cricket for Australia again they’re all little stepping stones to me achieving that dream again,” he concluded.
Shared News | Last updated on Sat, 30 Jun, 2018, 03:21 PM
