Ian Chappell, a former captain of Australia, feels that Cameron Bancroft’s probable return to the Test team should not be affected by any hypothetical enmity between him and the bowlers. Bancroft has made 446 runs at an average of 26.23 in 10 Test matches for Australia, including four half-centuries and Ian Chappell strongly believes that the batter has done enough to fill the shoes of David Warner.
Following a decisive 3-0 series victory over Pakistan, Australia will open their home season on January 17 with the first Test matchup against the West Indies. On Wednesday, January 10, Australia is going to announce the squad for the West Indies series.
The matter is now resolved and shouldn’t come up again- Cameron Bancroft on his relationship with the Australian Bowlers
Recently, when questioned about his connections with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon—the four bowlers—Bancroft stated that the matter is now resolved and shouldn’t come up again if he continues to play for the team.
Bancroft appears to be the favorite to replace David Warner following his retirement for the two-test series against the West Indies. Bancroft’s domestic success has allowed him to outperform his rivals (Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw) for the slot, but his role in the 2018 ball-tampering incident may prevent him from being chosen.
You’ve got 16 different personalities, some are going to get on and some aren’t- Ian Chappell
In addition, Bancroft’s relationship with the Australian bowlers made headlines this week. The bowlers issued a denial statement in response to the Western Australian batter’s suggestion that they knew he was changing the ball’s condition.
Speaking with Nine’s World Wide of Sports, Ian Chappell stated that while he believes the players’ statements should be accepted at face value, Bancroft’s choice shouldn’t be affected by any potential problems.
“You’ve really got to rely on Cameron Bancroft and the bowlers. I’m not there, I’m not part of the dressing room, and unless you’re part of the dressing room you’re not going to know that,” said Ian Chappell.
Ian Chappell went on to say that it just doesn’t happen that all 16 players in the squad really like each other because you’ve got 16 different personalities and there will be some difference in opinions.
“Firstly, if anybody thinks – as Steve Waugh suggested – that all 16 players in a touring party really like each other, then they believe in Santa Claus and the Easter bunny, because it just doesn’t happen. You’ve got 16 different personalities, some are going to get on and some aren’t,” he explained.
The main thing was that they respected me and respected my decisions- Ian Chappell when he was the captain
Ian Chappell believes that selection should be made only on the basis of performance, without regard to relationships or personalities off the field.
When he was playing, he captained Australia for thirty Test matches, and he stated that the only thing that mattered was gaining the respect of the players.
“All I ever asked as a captain was that people respect what I was doing. I didn’t expect invitations to their 21sts or their weddings. Some people obviously I got on well with. But the main thing was that they respected me and respected the decisions, and that included selection,” said Ian Chappell.
Ian Chappell stated that if a player can score a 100 or take five wickets for the team, then he is in the team. If there was a problem related to his personality, then it’s the captain’s job to make sure that worked.
“All I ever needed to know was can (the player) score 100, or can he get five wickets? And if the answer to that was yes, he was in the team, if there was a problem personality wise it was my job as a captain to make sure that worked. If you ask if I think personality has affected selection, I think it definitely has at different points,” he added.
Australia will announce their squad for the West Indies series on January 10. So it will be exciting to see whether Cameron Bancroft will be able to make it to the squad or not.