County Championship: Somerset sign Cameron Bancroft ahead of new season

Australia international Cameron Bancroft will be playing for Somerset in the early stages of the County Championship this season. Notably, the cricketer had signed for the club in the summer of 2018 but after the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, his contract was terminated.

Now, he is all set to make his return to the competition and will be playing in the first four games of the season. He’ll also be the club's second overseas player, alongside Peter Siddle. Notably, New Zealand ace pacer Matt Henry will also join the squad in the month of May.

Meanwhile, Andy Hurry, Somerset’s Director of Cricket, has revealed that the club is pleased with the signing of Bancroft. He mentioned that since their skipper Tom Abell and Tom Banton are currently struggling with side and finger injuries respectively, the Aussie can provide much-needed cover for the team.

“We are pleased to have secured a player of Cameron's quality for the opening matches of the campaign. With a couple of our batters currently recovering from injury, we saw this as an opportunity to solidify our batting lineup at a time of the year when runs will be at a premium,” Hurry was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"With Matt Henry joining us later in the season we were keen to secure the services of a proven player for the opening four fixtures. During his recent spells within county cricket, he has proved himself to be extremely proficient in English conditions and we are looking forward to adding his quality to our dressing room for those initial Championship matches,” he added.

Bancroft opens up on his reunion with Somerset

With the Pat Cummins-led side set to visit England for the all-important Ashes later in the year, Bancroft has an amazing opportunity to prove his mettle and get into the scheme of things. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old has enjoyed great success in the island country and stated that he is excited to go back and represent Somerset in the County Championship.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the time that I've spent playing in England, and I'm excited to be heading back there with Somerset. They are an outstanding club who are looking to challenge in all formats again this year.

"I hope that I can help contribute to Somerset making a good start to the season in their pursuit of their County Championship goal. It would mean a huge amount to me to play a part in the 2023 team making history,” Bancroft said.

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store