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Cameron Bancroft 'not as feverish' about fading Test recall hopes

Australian opener Cameron Bancroft has openly accepted that his chances of reclaiming a Test spot have diminished, despite another strong domestic season. Bancroft scored 186 runs against South Australia at Adelaide Oval—his 34th first-class century and 15th for Western Australia—yet was overlooked for Australia’s recent squads against the West Indies and Pakistan.

His omission came despite leading the 2022-23 Sheffield Shield in runs and finishing second in the 2023-24 campaign, leaving him without a recall since his last Test in August 2019. Selectors instead experimented with Steve Smith as an opener and accommodated David Warner’s retirement tour, leaving no opening for Bancroft despite his consistent form.

The 35-year-old, who served a nine-month suspension following the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, now appears resigned to his exclusion, though he remains open to a surprise call-up if one arises. Australia’s unstable opening partnership—nine different combinations in the last 19 Tests—has further complicated Bancroft’s prospects ahead of the home series against New Zealand in December and future tours of India and England in 2027.

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