Tainted Australia opener Cameron Bancroft, who was the face of the ball tampering scandal during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town, has refused to challenge his nine month ban imposed by Cricket Australia.

Bancroft, in a statement put on his Twitter handle, said,” Today I lodged the paperwork with Cricket Australia and will be accepting the sanction handed down. I would love to put this behind me and will do whatever it takes to earn back the trust of the Australian public. Thank you to all those who have sent messages of support”

Bancroft was caught tampering with the ball using sandpaper and then tried to hide it in his trousers when confronted by the umpires. Bancroft then lied during the press conference that it was a piece of tape. However, the investigations conducted by Cricket Australia revealed the truth and Bancroft was handed a nine month ban from international and domestic cricket.

One returning to Australia, Bancroft asked for forgiveness from the Australian cricket fans and regretted his actions on that fateful day. Now, Bancroft will be aiming to play club cricket in Western Australia.