Cameron Bancroft guides Durham to beat Leicestershire

Melbourne: Australia wicket-keeper batsman Cameron Bancroft played a match-winning knock, smashing his second consecutive century to lead Durham to victory in England’s One-Day Cup.

Chasing 234 set by Leicestershire, Durham skipper Bancroft scored an unbeaten 118 off 117 balls, which saw 12 boundaries and two sixes, to register a six-wicket win with 27 balls to spare.

“Signing him (Bancroft), there was a lot of speculation. But I think he’s certainly put that to rest with his two performances. He’s been a leader of this team coming out, two match-winning hundreds. That’s what you want from your captain, to lead from the front, and he’s certainly done that the first two games,” cricket.com.au quoted Bancroft’s teammate James Franklin, as saying.

The northeast English county’s decision to appoint Bancroft as its captain last month attracted criticism despite Durham chief executive Tim Bostock insisted Bancroft was “the best available option” and his performances have justified the faith.

The wicket-keeper batsman was banned for nine months for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa in March last year, along with Australia then-captain Steve Smith and ex-deputy David Warner, who both served a 12-month ban.

Bancroft’s ban was lifted in last December, allowing him to compete in the Big Bash League (BBL) for Perth Scorchers and for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield. He amassed 298 runs, including two half-centuries in the BBL, before scoring 392 runs in four matches for Western Australia.

[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]