Cameron Bancroft doesn’t believe David Warner’s captaincy ban detracts from his leadership

Cameron Bancroft says the fact David Warner will never captain Australia doesn’t detract from his standing as a leader and the influence he has on the team.

Speaking exclusively to The West Australian on Thursday — 24 hours after Warner withdrew his application to have his leadership ban overturned — the man at the centre of the sandpaper storm four years ago has praised the opener’s knowledge and capabilities, regardless of whether or not he holds an official title.

In a wide-ranging interview, Bancroft also revealed he was excited to get to know former South African captain and new Perth Scorchers teammate Faf du Plessis after being on opposing sides of one of the sport’s greatest scandals.

Warner was handed a lifetime ban from all leadership roles, including in domestic cricket, which he was fighting to be overturned, until announcing on Wednesday he had withdrawn his application from the process he described as a “media circus” designed to “humiliate” him.

It came as Steve Smith, who was barred for two years from captaining, led Australia out for the second Test against the West Indies in Adelaide, in place of injured skipper Pat Cummins.

Bancroft said he felt Warner had “every right” to feel disenfranchised by the appeal process.

“To be honest, obviously that’s something that he’s maybe felt a little bit passionate about and he’s had every right to feel how he feels about it,” he said.

“From what I see, for Dave it is about the cricket. It all comes back to being present about playing cricket and that was obviously his number one priority in the end.

“I guess it is what it is, I don’t understand the logistics of it all too much, but he’s made what he feels is the right decision so he can focus on his cricket and his family and that’s what’s most important at the end of the day.”

Warner’s cricket nous is widely considered among the strongest of the Australian playing group, and while Cummins is seen as the long-term option to lead Australia, the 36-year-old had been touted for the top job at his Big Bash League club Sydney Thunder.

Camera Icon Australia’s David Warner walks off after losing his wicket to the West Indies during their cricket test match in Adelaide, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2022. Credit: James Elsby/AP

But Bancroft said his influence on Australia in all three formats and the Thunder’s BBL campaign will be the same regardless.

“I think Dave and a lot of other players in that side, they’re all good leaders anyway,” he said.

“There have been times I’m sure where guys have gone off the field and players have had to take control and things like that.

“He’s got a wealth of experience, not everyone gets the opportunity to captain the side, but leadership is a lot broader than that and I think regardless of whether Dave has had lots of opportunities to captain or not, he has got that knowledge behind him on the cricket field.

“For lots of reasons I guess, other players have captained and I certainly don’t think that takes away from his knowledge of cricket and what he contributes as a leader anyway.

“He has got those leadership qualities that shine in the team regardless of whether he is the skipper or not. That’s something that I’ve definitely seen in the past.”

Camera Icon Cameron Bancroft of Western Australia looks on during the Sheffield Shield match between Queensland and Western Australia at The Gabba, on December 03, 2022, in Brisbane, Australia. Credit: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Du Plessis touches down in Australia on Monday ahead of a seven-game stint with the Scorchers and the now-retired South African great was the Proteas’ captain at the time of the ball-tampering incident. The pair are likely to occupy spots in the same top order when the BBL season starts next Saturday.

In a bombshell autobiography released last month, du Plessis admitted that South Africa had also “pushed those boundaries” and said Bancroft became the victim of a culture that placed performance above all else.

“I have tremendous sympathy for what he went through. This is what happens in a team when the culture of belonging is restricted to performance and when players are made to believe that they need to prove themselves at any cost before they feel accepted,” he wrote.

Bancroft said he was looking forward to building a relationship with the 38-year-old, who has now committed solely to the short-form circuit.

“He’s obviously a seriously good cricketer and very well travelled, he has got a lot of experience in Twenty20 cricket and obviously his international experience is second to none,” Bancroft said.

“That’s probably been the positive opportunity about some of the other players not being able to come is the opportunity to rubs shoulders with a guy like him.

Camera Icon Faf du Plessis is headed to Perth. Credit: Mahesh Kumar A./AP

“I don’t know him very well at all and look forward to learning and watching him go about his business, which will be really good to see over the next period that we have him for, which will be great.”

He said the pair didn’t interact during the 2018 series in South Africa.

“At that point in time I’m quite a young player and obviously at the start of my career, so maybe some of the other guys having played franchise cricket probably have a bit more of a connection with him, but I certainly haven’t, so I guess my relationship with him is nil,” Bancroft said.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know him a bit more as a person and that’s the good thing about the Big Bash and having these players come over.”

Bancroft has scored three hundreds in his 10 first-class innings this season and is the Sheffield Shield’s second leading run-scorer as he circles a third opportunity at Test level for Australia.