It's no one's God given right to play for Western Australia:
https://www.news.com.au/sport/crick...d/news-story/f3e1b9500d09b5ec9e524b20726f17bf
Less than four months after he was named in the Australian Test squad, Cameron Bancroft has been axed from the Western Australia Sheffield Shield team after a lean run with the bat.
Bancroft will not feature in the must-win four-day match against Queensland at the WACA, commencing Friday.
In the 2019/20 Sheffield Shield, Bancroft has averaged 13.16 with the bat including three ducks, unable to manage a score higher than 30 in seven matches.
Despite his poor form,
Bancroft was selected in Australia’s 13-player squad to face Pakistan at the Gabba in late November. He was never chosen in the starting XI, with selectors opting instead for Queenslander Joe Burns.
Western Australia coach Adam Voges spoke about the opening batsman’s exclusion on Thursday.
“Cameron Bancroft is a quality player — ultimately he hasn’t been at his best this season which sees him miss this match,” Voges said.
“We are looking forward to seeing him bounce back.”
Marcus Stoinis and Josh Inglis return to the Sheffield Shield squad after their Australia A stint, squeezing Bancroft out of the team. He joins former Australian cricketers Ashton Turner and Hilton Cartwright on the sidelines for Western Australia.
It’s been a dramatic fall from grace for the 27-year-old, who was handed a Test debut in November 2017. After a subpar home Ashes series with the bat, Bancroft was Australia’s highest run-scorer during the 2018 tour of South Africa.
However, Bancroft was handed a nine-month ban from Cricket Australia in March 2018 for his role in the infamous ball-tampering scandal.
After a successful stint with Durham in the County Championship, Bancroft was a shock selection in the 2019 Ashes squad, opening the batting alongside David Warner. However, he was dropped two matches for Victorian Marcus Harris, and hasn’t represented Australia since.
Bancroft’s batting technique has been widely criticised since the 2017/18 Ashes series, where he struggled against England’s seamers.
His accentuated weight transfer across the pitch causes his head to topple, leaving him off balance when driving on the front foot and vulnerable when glancing on the back foot.
During a particularly bizarre period of bad luck earlier this summer,
Bancroft was caught at leg gully six times in seven innings.
Queenslander Matthew Renshaw, the batsman Bancroft replaced in Australia’s Test squad in 2017, was also
dropped from his Sheffield Shield squad last month.
Western Australia are currently fourth on the 2019/20 Sheffield Shield ladder, but could rise to second with a win over Queensland.
Western Australia squad: Shaun Marsh (c), Jake Carder, Cameron Green, Liam Guthrie, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, David Moody, Joel Paris, Josh Philippe, Marcus Stoinis, Sam Whiteman, Josh Nicholas
What a shame.
