Australia Test batsman Cameron Bancroft will return to English county side Durham with unfinished business to complete, according to their director of cricket Marcus North.
The 28-year-old opener Bancroft played nine county championship matches for Durham in 2019 before being called into Australia’s Ashes squad.
And fellow former Australia batsman North revealed that Bancroft is relishing the opportunity to pick up where he left off when he heads back to Chester-le-Street in May.
“When I’ve spoken to Cameron over the last couple of years – obviously he would have been here last year, but due to COVID, we didn’t have the overseas players – he very much has that language that he’s a Durham player and he’s got unfinished business back here.
“That is really exciting, having an overseas player coming back and having that desire not just to do well for himself, but most importantly do well for Durham and make sure Durham is playing well.”
Bancroft, currently playing for Western Australia, will head for England once his home season is over, mirroring the journey he first made two years ago, although in very different circumstances.
At that point, he was rebuilding his reputation after serving a nine-month ban for his part in Australia’s ball-tampering scandal during their tour of South Africa.
He went on to score 726 runs at an average of 45.37 in the county championship and added 377 more at an average of 94.25 in the one-day cup, captaining the side in both formats, and his impending return is eagerly-anticipated.
North said: “In the short period of time that we had him in 2019, he scored a lot of runs for us, made hundreds – which is key – and had a period of leadership with us through a very difficult time for him coming back into cricket.
“It was an excellent impact before he got called up for the Ashes.
“So to have an overseas player who’s going to be available for the remainder of the season, who knows what Durham is about, knows what it means to play for Durham, it’s great for us and is equally exciting for Cameron.”