Former Australian captain Ian Chappell says Cameron Bancroft’s prospective comeback to the Test team should not be influenced by any ill blood between him and the bowlers.
With David Warner’s retirement, Bancroft appears to be the favorite for his successor in the two-Test series against the West Indies.
Despite outrunning his contenders for the position with his domestic accomplishments, the 31-year-old’s
participation in the 2018 ball-tampering incident may jeopardize his selection.
Bancroft’s connection with the Australian bowlers has also made headlines this week.
The Western Australian batter claimed that the bowlers were aware of the changed ball condition, to which they responded with a denial statement.
Chappell told Nine’s World Wide of Sports that the players’ remarks must be accepted at their value,
but that any potential issues should not influence Bancroft’s selection.
Chappell explained that you had to rely on Cameron Bancroft and the bowlers. “I’m not there, I’m not in the dressing room, and unless you’re in the dressing room, you won’t know that.”
To begin with, anyone who believes that all 16 players in a traveling party truly enjoy one other, as Steve Waugh claimed,
must believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, since it just does not happen.
You have 16 distinct personalities, some of which will get along and some of which will not.
When questioned lately about his relationship with the four bowlers – Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc,
Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon – Bancroft stated that the problem is a thing of the past and should not recur if he is selected.
On Wednesday, January 10, Australia is set to select its team for the West Indies series.
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As a captain, all I ever wanted was for people to accept what I was doing – Ian Chappell
Ian Chappell believes that selection should be based exclusively on performance rather than off-field personality and relationships.
He recalled his playing days, when he captained Australia for 30 Tests, and stated that just winning the players’ respect was important.
As a captain, all I ever wanted was for people to appreciate what I was doing. I wasn’t expecting invites to their 21st birthdays or weddings.
I got along with certain folks. But the most important thing was that they accepted me and my judgments, including selection, Chappell added.
All I wanted to know was if he could score 100 or get five wickets. And if the response was yes, he was on the squad, he explained.
If there was a personality conflict, it was my responsibility as captain to see that it was resolved.
If you ask me if I believe personality has influenced selection, I believe it has at certain stages.
Bancroft has appeared in ten Tests for Australia, scoring 446 runs at an average of 26.23 and scoring four half-centuries.
Australia is coming off a 3-0 series triumph over Pakistan and will continue their home season with the first Test against the West Indies, which begins on January 17 in Adelaide.
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