'I’ve had to forgive myself for error I made' – Cameron Bancroft

The months since he was banned for his role in Australia’s ball-tampering scandal have been about forgiving himself, gaining perspective – and learning Spanish, Cameron Bancroft has said.

His actions in the Newlands Test, where was caught on camera changing the nature of the ball and pushing sandpaper down his trousers, earned him a nine-month ban, and Bancroft said his life had been a roller-coaster since that day.

“You certainly ride the waves of grieving,” said the 25-year-old, speaking on Saturday, June 30. The interaction, his first since the remorseful press conference upon his return from South Africa, came ahead of his expected return to competitive cricket in the Northern Territory’s Strike League.

"There’s been times where I’ve felt really sad, there’s been times where I’ve felt really angry. But overall, I’ve worked really hard on myself, been really busy with a lot of things and right now it’s just another step forward, heading up to Darwin to play some cricket and I’m really looking forward to it."

The incident at Newlands attracted severe criticism, with several players and commentators in recent times suggesting the response was disproportional. Bancroft, though, was not one of them.

"For me, in that situation, it was about me and my mistake and the poor decision I made. What anyone else thought or said didn’t change the fact that I made a really bad decision and I’ve had to really forgive myself for that error I made.

"It’s all a part of moving forward with it all. The media reacted appropriately to the situation and what happened and I have no anger or judgement or resentment for that."

He added that he’d been doing yoga, learning Spanish and doing community work with children, even as he worked on returning to the Australia side.

"I love the game, I love playing cricket and as hard as it would seem to connect how learning Spanish links to playing cricket for Australia again they’re all little stepping stones to me achieving that dream again."