AUS vs PAK | Was surprised by call-up for Pakistan series, reveals Cameron Bancroft
Australian opener Cameron Bancroft, who has been short of runs in the Sheffield Shield this season, has admitted that he himself was surprised over his call-up for the Pakistan series. But despite his horror-show in the Shield, Bancroft is hopeful of a good showing in the series if given a chance.
After two Tests in the Ashes which saw him return mediocre numbers of just 44 runs at an average of just 11, Cameron Bancroft was subsequently dropped from the team in favour of Marcus Harris for the final three Tests of the series. However, Harris' struggles have once again paved an unexpected way back into the Test side for Bancroft, who was named in Australia's squad for the two Tests against Pakistan.
The move has been widely criticized by many, with several people feeling that the Western Australian, who has averaged a substandard 11.40 in this Sheffield Shield season, was unworthy of a call-up. Bancroft has now revealed that he himself was surprised by the call-up and acknowledged his lack of runs, but is confident of turning things around if given an opportunity and has revealed that he feels good about his game.
"It was a surprise. I haven't got any big hundreds or the runs I would have liked. I've been out in a couple of really strange ways," Bancroft told cricket.com.au.
"But contrary to a lot of other times in my career, I felt like I've been playing well. I've just been out of runs at the time .I've found some good confidence in one-day cricket, I'm feeling good. If I get an opportunity, hopefully, I can make a big score," he added.
But with Joe Burns, who scored a 180 in his last gig in Test cricket, expected to pair up with David Warner up top, the 26-year-old Western Australian has primarily been picked in the squad as a standby batsman, should there arise a situation where a concussion substitute is needed. Bancroft has revealed that he understands his role in the team and stressed on the importance of staying flexible to help the team.Â
"I think that's probably the way the game has had to evolve a little bit," Bancroft said of concussion substitutes.
"Marnus was a great example during the Ashes. He was able to come in and have a really big impact in that game. You (need to) be as flexible as you can, and you need resources in your team to be flexible for whatever happens," the opener signed off.Â