• CA wants further ball-tampering info from Bancroft

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    Cricket Australia has written to opening batsman Cameron Bancroft, asking him to provide additional information in light of his recent comments regarding the 2018 ball-tampering saga in Cape Town.

    Bancroft told the Guardian last week he had no doubt that the Australian bowlers from the infamous Test match knew about the plan to take sandpaper on to the field in order to alter the condition of the ball.

    Bancroft was caught on live TV with a piece of yellow sandpaper in his hand on the day, leading to his and then captains Steve Smith and David Warner’s long-term suspension from the game.

    Cricket Australia’s executive general manager of national teams, Ben Oliver, on Monday confirmed that a few members from the organisation’s integrity branch have requested Bancroft to provide new details on the incident.

    ‘There was obviously a thorough investigation into that incident,’ Oliver told media on Monday.

    ‘There were actions taken on the back of that, and since that time everyone who’s been involved in the [national men’s] team has worked incredibly hard to rebuild confidence and ultimately aspire to make Australians proud of the Australian cricket team.

    ‘We’ve maintained all the way through that if anyone has any new information relating to that incident that we encourage people to come forward and discuss that with Cricket Australia.

    ‘In this case, our integrity team have reached out to Cam [Bancroft], extending that invitation to him if he does have any new information … or to remind him if he does have any new information in addition to what his input was into the original investigation, there is an avenue for him to do that.’

    Like many others, former Australia batsman Michael Bevan also lashed out at the new attempts to gain further insights more than three years since the incident.

    Bevan tweeted he believes the bowlers in the team had to know about the plan and that it is strange that only three players were sanctioned at the time.

    ‘How can this still be going on 3 years later!! Surely every player must have been interviewed? Surely the bowlers must have known? How then can only 3 players be sanctioned??’ he wrote.

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    Andre Huisamen