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Bancroft shrugs off warm-up mishap with vital Shield ton

"Rattled" by an inadvertent head knock during Western Australia's warm-up, Cameron Bancroft nonetheless posted his 17th first-class century and third of the Sheffield Shield season

Cameron Bancroft shrugged off a pre-game head knock and some disciplined Victorian bowling to post his third century of the Marsh Sheffield Shield season at the WACA Ground.

With both Western Australia and the Vics desperate for a win to remain in the hunt for a berth in the Shield final, Bancroft stroked a gritty 113 after his side was sent in on Thursday's first day.

That had come despite teammate Cameron Gannon accidentally hitting the 28-year-old in the jaw during WA's warm-up, though Bancroft was passed fit to play the four-day game that shapes as a must-win for both teams.

 

Image Id: BA124F13A0C54680B492BBC7057706F9 Image Caption: Bancroft was cleared to play after a head clash in warm-ups // Getty

 

"We played a game in our warm-up and Cameron got very excited, dived for a ball and his forearms came blazing across my jaw," Bancroft said.

"I was a bit rattled. I've been a bit sore chewing my food so I've been on the liquids – it feels like having my wisdom teeth out.

"But it was all fine … I felt good enough to bat out there today."

Bancroft defies Vics for third ton of Shield season

WA had slumped to 5-114 during the second session but Victoria could not find a way through the defences of Bancroft, who finally found an ally in impressive wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis (88 not out) as the right-handed duo put on an 87-run sixth-wicket partnership.

Spinner Jon Holland (2-88) had surprisingly proved the major threat with the ball on an opening-day pitch that offered turn, but Bancroft moved from 91 to 101 with a six and a four in the space of three balls from the left-armer to reach his 17th first-class hundred.

James Pattinson (0-53) did not take a wicket but held onto an outstanding diving catch running in off the square-leg boundary to dismiss Bancroft for 113, with 10 fours and a pair of sixes coming off his 228 balls.

No.8 Joel Paris (46 not out) then put WA's top-order to shame, facing 82 balls (more than any of his fellow batters aside from Bancroft and Inglis) without being dismissed, including a testing period late in the day against the second new ball, to see WA reach 6-287 at stumps.

Inglis and Paris put on 90 unbeaten runs together in their defiant third-session stand.

Bancroft was dropped from WA's Shield team last season but has bounced back in dominant fashion this summer and now has 543 runs at 49.36 for the season.

"I've just looked to try and get better in lots of different ways, you're always evolving as a player," said Bancroft.

"It would have been nice to get a really big hundred, but from where I was at the end of last season to where I am now – all the work I've put in, it's been nice to get some runs."

WA (fourth on the Shield standings with 19.7 points) and Victoria (fifth with 18.57) require wins from both their final two games of the season to stand a chance of making next month's five-day final.

Backed in by captain Peter Handscomb with his decision to bowl first, Victoria's four-pronged pace attack hardly deviated from a good line early on as opener Sam Whiteman (13) flicked one to short leg and was left to rue a stunning reflex snare from Travis Dean, included for his first game in 12 months.

Star pair Shaun Marsh (six off 47) and Cameron Green (13 off 42) were dismissed either side of the lunch break after being tied down by the visitors.

Holland was a handful on a ground more renowned for its friendliness to pace bowlers (and, more recently, to batters) as he trapped Green lbw before a sharp-turning delivery caught Hilton Cartwright's outside edge.

WA were staring down the barrel of a sub-200 score when wicketkeeper Seb Gotch took a full length diving catch off Jake Carder to give Will Sutherland (2-50) his second victim.

But Inglis, who shook off a blow to his hand off a lifting delivery from Pattinson, proved a solid foil to Bancroft in a counter-attacking knock, reaching his half-century from 76 balls and will have his eye on his third ton of the Shield season on Friday morning.