Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft on Saturday, November 16, admitted that he was surprised with his inclusion to 14-man squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan.
Bancroft's selection for the Pakistan Tests has been the most debatable one as his form in the ongoing Sheffield Shield isn’t impressive at all, having managed just 57 runs in 6 innings at an average of 11.4 with a top score of 30 after his Ashes 2019 failure.
Bancroft said of his selection, “It was a surprise. I haven't got any big hundreds or the runs I would have liked. I've been out in a couple of really strange ways. But contrary to a lot of other times in my career, I felt like I've been playing well. I've just been out of runs at the time.”
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Meanwhile, Joe Burns is likely to open alongside David Warner against Pakistan, so it’s highly unlikely that Bancroft will be in the starting XI.
However, since the batsman was flown in for the unavailable Nic Maddinson as he was not part Australia A squad, his selection has been considered as concussion substitutes and even Australia's chairman of selectors admitted that they went for a 14-man squad instead of a 12-man because of the concussion substitutes for a home Test series.
Well, the batsman has revealed that he understands his role in the squad and stressed on the need to be flexible to help the team. On being asked about the concussion substitutes, the Aussie said, “I think that's probably the way the game has had to evolve a little bit. Marnus was a great example during the Ashes. He was able to come in and have a really big impact in that game. You (need to) be as flexible as you can, and you need resources in your team to be flexible for whatever happens.”
After replacing Maddinson, the right-hander scored 49 runs to help India A to draw the tour game against Pakistan and now he is ready to score big runs if he gets the opportunity. Bancroft signed off by saying, “I've found some good confidence in one-day cricket, I'm feeling good. If I get an opportunity, hopefully, I can make a big score.”
The two-match Test series between Australia and Pakistan will get underway with the first Test on November 21 in Brisbane followed by second and final on November 29 at the Adelaide Oval.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
