Bancroft rides wave of emotion in wake of ball-tampering scandal
Former Australian cricketer Cameron Bancroft says he has ridden a wave of emotion in the three months since his suspension for ball tampering.
The West Australian received a nine-month ban for his role in the scandal during the tour of South Africa, in which he used sandpaper to scratch the ball during the fourth test in Johannesburg in March.
The incident also saw former captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner suspended.
Bancroft will play professional cricket for the first time since the incident when he takes part in the Northern Territory Strike League over the next month.
"I'm feeling really good," he said.
"The last couple of months, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster. You certainly ride the waves of grieving."
"There's been times where I felt really sad, there's been times where I felt really angry.
"I can't change what happened in South Africa, and that's something that I am completely accountable for."
'I've had to forgive myself'
Despite facing intense media scrutiny and commentary about his actions, Bancroft said he held no grudges, and understood the response and outrage.
"It can be really challenging to deal with and really challenging to digest the different opinion that flies around," he said.
"For me, in that situation, it was about me, and it was about my mistake, and it was about the poor decision I made.
"What anyone else thought or said didn't change the fact that I made a really bad decision and I've really had to forgive myself for that error I made."
'Cricket was always my path'
The batsman, who received a reprieve to play for club side Wanneroo while serving his ban, never considered giving the game away.
"Cricket was always my path or my focus to come back to," Bancroft said.
"As little a step as it was to get up in the morning and have breakfast at the same time each day, or have breakfast and go to the gym, as little a steps as they were, for me they were really positive moments to that end goal which was 'I'm going to return and I'm going to play cricket again'."
He said his parents had provided him with invaluable support over the past three months.
"I've had a lot of times where things crop up, especially when you're grieving, and you're going through some emotional responses," Bancroft said.
"They've been there for me. They've been ears and they've listened, they've given me perspective."
Bancroft said he had been in constant contact with Smith and Warner, and said the three of them had provided support for one another.
The 25-year-old said the enforced break had allowed him to explore different things, including taking up yoga and learning Spanish, while also completing community work in Broome and Perth.
He will also complete some of his mandated 100 hours of community service in Darwin, while playing eight matches over the next month.
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ABC .net
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