Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell is of the opinion that Cameron Bancroft’s recent revelations on the infamous sandpaper gate saga won’t do him any benefit as it might go onto decrease his future chances of representing the national team. In a recent interview to the Guardian, Bancroft hinted at the fact that the bowling cartel was aware of the ball being scruffed up with sandpaper during the match against South Africa at the Newlands in Cape Town in March 2018.
"Yeah, look, all I wanted to do was to be responsible and accountable for my own actions and part. Yeah, obviously what I did benefits bowlers and the awareness around that, probably, is self-explanatory," Bancroft told the Guardian.
His remarks prompted Cricket Australia’s Integrity Unit to reach out to him in order to gather any additional information on the particular incident. However, a report in the Sydney Morning Herald says that Bancroft has backtracked on the issue claiming that he doesn’t have any new information to give.
Chappell felt that while it is not ethical to pick and choose players on the basis of likes and dislikes but this has been going on for some time now. When asked whether selection happens on basis of likes and dislikes, Chappell said, "The answer should be 'No,'" Chappell was quoted as saying by Wide World of Sports.
"But does like and dislike come into selection? It shouldn't, but it does. Do selectors sometimes pick players, or not pick them, for reasons other than cricket ability? I think it happens occasionally.
"It's definitely happened as far as Warner and leadership is concerned," he concluded.
Back in March 2018, the tainted trio of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft was involved in the ball-tampering incident at the Newlands in Cape Town. On the insistence of the then captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, Bancroft applied sandpaper on the ball.
Getting caught on TV, Bancroft panicked and shoved the small piee of sandpaper inside his trousers. While Warner and Smith was handed one year ban, Bancroft had to be out of competitive cricket for nine months after accepting the charges in the post day presser.