Bancroft eager to 'move on' as Khawaja reignites sandpapergate chapter
What's the story
Cameron Bancroft's coach Beau Casson has said that the cricketer is eager to "move on and let his bat do the talking." This comes after Usman Khawaja's explosive claims in his autobiography, Sabr. Khawaja alleged that Bancroft had offered to use sandpaper on the ball during the 2018 Gqeberha Test against South Africa. He also said that at Cape Town's Newlands, he saw Bancroft speak to a coach before the sandpaper footage emerged. The allegations have reignited the infamous sandpaper scandal.
Book revelations
Bancroft was penalized for the sandpaper incident
Khawaja's autobiography, Sabr, which will be published on Tuesday, makes several allegations about Bancroft.
The Western Australian cricketer was banned from international and domestic cricket for nine months due to his involvement in the incident.
Along with Bancroft, Steven Smith and David Warner were also penalized after a quick investigation by Cricket Australia.
Allegations detailed
Khawaja's autobiography discusses potential pre-planning in Gqeberha
According to Nine newspapers, Khawaja's autobiography claims that sandpaper was discussed and used during the second Test at Gqeberha.
The book also alleges that Bancroft volunteered to use sandpaper in the first innings of this match, which witnessed significant ball swing.
In extracts published by News Corp, Khawaja details how players would collect the ball near the boundary where umpires left it at session start.
He even said that the whole squad knew about sandpaper being used on the ball.
Recollection
Warner was hesitant, says Khawaja
Khawaja recalls that during the Gqeberha Test, Warner was hesitant to use sandpaper, but Bancroft, who was new to Test cricket, volunteered.
"Some of the boys asked, 'You sure?' Bangers replied, 'Yeah, no worries - it'll be easy,'" Khawaja wrote.
He also claimed he saw Bancroft talk to a coach before cameras caught the sandpaper incident on day three of the Cape Town Test.
Uncertainty
Will Bancroft respond to the allegations?
It remains uncertain if Bancroft will respond to Khawaja's fresh allegations.
While Smith and Warner have had long careers after the scandal, Bancroft has been largely absent from international cricket.
He made a brief return to the Test side after the sandpaper scandal during the 2019 Ashes tour but hasn't played since.
Despite this, he has been a consistent run-scorer for WA in domestic cricket with an average of 48.37 across three Sheffield Shield titles from 2021-24.
Statement
The infamous 'self-explanatory' statement
In a 2021 interview with The Guardian, Bancroft had admitted it is "self-explanatory" that bowlers in the team knew about the condition of the ball.
"What I did benefits bowlers and the awareness around that is self-explanatory," Bancroft asserted.
Following this statement, all Australian frontline bowlers from that Cape Town Test - Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon - issued a joint statement calling for an end to "rumour-mongering and innuendo".