Truth about Cameron Bancroft 'snub' revealed in telling comparison to Matt Renshaw
Justin Langer claimed that Bancroft had made an 'undeniable' case for selection - but that's not quite true.
Claims that Cameron Bancroft was brutally snubbed for Australia's latest Test squad don't exactly ring true when you consider Matt Renshaw has actually outperformed him over the last two years. Bancroft had been hoping to win selection in Australia's squad to take on the West Indies, with David Warner's retirement opening up a spot at the top of the order.
But Bancroft was once again overlooked, with selectors opting to promote Steve Smith to opener and bring Cameron Green back into the middle order. Bancroft didn't even get a place in the 13-man squad, with Renshaw preferred as the reserve batter.
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Justin Langer was among the many to slam the snub of Bancroft, claiming his weight of runs in the Sheffield Shield since 2022 had made his case "undeniable". While Bancroft has led the Sheffield Shield run-scorers' list for the last two seasons, he has actually been outperformed by Renshaw across all forms of first-class cricket in that time.
Sheffield Shield stats don't take into account the games the two players have featured in against international opposition since the start of 2022. Bancroft and Renshaw both played for Australia A in a series against New Zealand A in 2023, as well as for the Prime Minster's XI against Pakistan in December. And Renshaw also represented the PM's XI against the touring West Indies in the summer of 2022/23.
If you take into account the games Bancroft played in County cricket last year, his first-class average since the start of last season's Sheffield Shield is 46.78. As for Renshaw, his average is 52.70 in that time.
The Queenslander scored 332 runs and made two centuries (at an average of 83) against New Zealand A, and made 136 not out for the PM's XI against Pakistan. Playing for the PM's XI against the West Indies he made 81 and 101 not out.
In 2023 alone, Renshaw made 816 runs at first-class level at 54.40 (16 innings), while Bancroft had 786 runs at 37.40 (21 innings). Renshaw also has the ability to bat in the middle order and can cover a number of players in the event that a concussion substitute is needed.
Justin Langer's claim about Cameron Bancroft not exactly right
As cricket podcaster and broadcaster Paul Dennett said this week: "There’s fury that Cameron Bancroft hasn’t been picked in the Australian side - there shouldn’t be. He’s a good player who wouldn’t be out of place at Test level but he hasn’t made the compelling case that people are saying he has.”
That's despite Langer claiming about Bancroft: “His numbers are outstanding. Not only has he made a lot of runs, but his fielding in the slips or at bat pad is as good as any player in the country. A lot of good judges have pointed to his weight of runs, they are undeniable.
“The mantra for all selectors is to tell aspiring players to score runs, take wickets, knock down the door. Be so good we can’t ignore you. Bancroft was given this message. All players are. He has taken the advice."
Some have suggested that Bancroft has been 'black-listed' by the Test team because of his comments in 2021 that the bowling quartet of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon had knowledge of the ball-tampering that occurred in South Africa in 2018 - suggestions they swiftly denied at the time. But Cummins personally rang Bancroft to assure him this isn't the case, and chief selector George Bailey emphatically denied the suggestion this week.
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