"I definitely owe it to my country to put those lessons into play" - Cameron Bancroft insists he has moved on from ball-tampering saga

Australian opener Cameron Bancroft insists that he has moved on from the infamous ball-tampering saga during the South African tour of March 2018. The Western Australian batter remains grateful for getting the opportunity to apply those hard-earned lessons in the future.

The right-handed batter was one of the protagonists of the infamous saga as he applied sandpaper to the ball to gain an unfair advantage during the third Test in Newlands. The 31-year-old copped a ban from top-level cricket for nine months, while the-then captain and vice-captain Steve Smith and David Warner, respectively, faced a year each.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Bancroft stated that everyone makes mistakes and that the greatest lesson for him is to take responsibility for one's actions. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he said:

"The past has been a great ground to learn things about myself. I feel like I definitely owe it to my country to put those lessons into play. I've always tried to learn from the past and put that into place for the future and be better as a cricketer and as a person.

"We all make mistakes in the world and I've definitely done that in my playing career. It's pretty obvious that's been the case for me. One of the lessons I've probably learned over the time is to take control of your own actions and responsibilities."

The right-hander has performed well in the 2023-24 edition of the Sheffield Shield, mustering 512 runs in nine matches at 56.88. He also finished as the top run-getter in the 2022-23 season, aggregating 945 runs in 20 innings at 59.06.

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"The Australian cricket team has moved forward" - Cameron Bancroft

Cameron Bancroft. (Credits: Getty)

Despite Bancroft suggesting two years ago that Australian bowlers knew about sandpaper on the ball, the opener trusts that everyone has moved on from it. On this, he added:

"I still run into those players plenty of times over the last couple of years. I've certainly felt nothing but business as usual with how you interact with people. What's happened in the past has been and gone now. I know those guys feel the same. The Australian cricket team has moved forward, they've been really successful.

"I've also moved forward with my cricket and my career also, trying to work on my own game as a cricketer and to work on myself as a human being. They play their cricket in the same brand as well and I feel like it wouldn't be an issue should I come into the environment."

The West Australian remains in contention to replace David Warner as the opener in the Test team to face the West Indies in their upcoming two-match series to be held later this month.