Bancroft falls cheaply in cricket return

Cameron Bancroft was out for one in his return to professional cricket on Sunday as he lined up for the Desert Blaze in the NT Strike League in Darwin.

Opening the batting for the Blaze, Bancroft got off the mark before he popped a catch to cover off the bowling of Southern Storm opener bowler Blade Baxter.

Scorecard: Desert Blaze v Southern Storm

"To get back in to some cricket is really exciting," Bancroft said after the match. "Obviously not an ideal start but the team won, it’s not all about you sometimes.

"I’ll keep enjoying every moment here."

He added: "Cricket is a component and part of my life. I know that for the last couple of months cricket has not necessarily been the No.1 priority in my life.

"But my life is still pretty good and there’s lots of great things about it.

"I think that’s been the beautiful thing about the last few months is you certainly learnt to appreciate and be grateful for what you do have.

"I had cricket taken away from me there for a little while but I’ve got a lot of great friends and support."

Bancroft's return mirrored that of fellow banned opening batsman David Warner, who was also out for just one in his first match back after the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town that saw both players, and captain Steve Smith, suspended from international and Australian domestic cricket.

While Bancroft received a nine-month ban for his involvement at Newlands, Smith and Warner were handed year-long suspensions by Cricket Australia.

When asked if he thinks he'll ever play Test cricket again, Bancroft said: "Like I did leading up to getting selected last summer I had to earn it and I had to work hard for it. I would expect nothing less."

Like Warner, Bancroft was sharp in the field. The 25-year-old held on to two catches to help bowl out the Storm for 142 inside their allotted 20 overs.

Bancroft would finish his first day back on the cricket field in the winners' circle, as the Blaze went on to win the match by seven wickets with more than four overs to spare. 

Speaking yesterday, Bancroft said he's had to forgive himself for his actions in Cape Town and is looking forward to playing in Darwin in what are his first steps back to the Australian side.

"Right now I’m feeling really good," Bancroft said. "The last couple of months have been a bit of a rollercoaster. You certainly ride the waves of grieving. 

"There’s been times where I’ve felt really sad, there’s been times where I’ve felt really angry. 

"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 continued: "I can’t change what happened in South Africa and that’s something I’m completely accountable for. 

"Everything since South Africa I’ve moved towards have been steps closer to one day getting back and playing cricket for Australia again."