Cricket Part III

Bancroft just short of Waugh’s epic record

WA opener falls 28 balls short of Steve Waugh’s mark for the most deliveries faced in a Sheffield Shield match

Martin Smith & Louis Cameron

The Cameron Bancroft bat-a-thon at Bankstown Oval has seen the Western Australian opener become the first man this century and the fourth all-time to face more than 600 deliveries in a single Sheffield Shield match.

In a stunning feat of endurance, Bancroft spent all but 10 balls of WA’s match against NSW - his first four-day game since he was banned last March - on the field.

In all, the opener soaked up a total of 621 deliveries to post scores of 138 not out and 86 as the Blues sparked a late collapse after tea on the final day to win by an innings and 51 runs.

He spent a total of more than 13 hours at the crease across the two innings, batting for 788 minutes in the match.

Bancroft produces another epic knock

Bancroft fell just 28 balls short of breaking Steve Waugh’s all-time Shield record for the most deliveries faced in a game, the former Test captain’s mark of 649 set in 1996 against Queensland still the most in the Shield’s history.

Bancroft’s tally of 621 is the fourth-most in Shield cricket and he also broke his own Western Australian record of 567 set against NSW at the WACA in 2015.

He’s the only man to have faced more than 550 balls in a Shield match twice.

NSW take four in 11 balls to win thriller

The right-hander appeared on track to break Waugh’s record, but his dismissal early in the final session was the first of four wickets to fall in the space of 11 balls as the Blues secured the win.

Bancroft’s dismissal, stumped off the bowling of Steve O’Keefe, also denied him the rare feat of carrying his bat twice in the same first-class match.

The opener’s 336-day stint without first-class cricket has seemingly done nothing to dampen his powers of concentration and his reputation as the marathon man of Australian cricket.

His gritty knock in the first innings represented the sixth time he’s faced 300 or more deliveries in a Shield innings, far beyond what any other active domestic player has managed since the right-hander’s debut five summers ago.

His former Warriors teammates Adam Voges and Michael Klinger, both of whom are now retired, managed the feat five and three times respectively over that same period.

Among current players, only Moises Henriques, Peter Nevill, Alex Doolan, Will Bosisto and Will Pucovski have done it on multiple occasions over the past five seasons.

For context, only three active Australian men have batted for 300-plus deliveries in Test cricket during the same time-frame; Steve Smith (six times), Usman Khawaja (three times) and Joe Burns (once).

Bancroft’s ability to soak up pressure and bat time was one of the key factors in him winning a Test debut at the start of last summer’s Ashes and will no doubt be his major attraction to selectors as he aims to win his Test spot back.

And the right-hander is set to receive plenty of opportunities to push his case for a recall for this year’s Ashes tour; once Western Australia’s Shield season is over, he’ll head to the north of England where he’s set to join county side Durham.

Unlucky Cartwright can’t take a trick

“What’s in my control is these four Shield games for Western Australia,” he told ABC Grandstand ahead of WA’s clash with the Blues. "I’ve committed to playing county cricket with Durham in the winter as well.

“They’re the things I can control and really look forward to and put my energy into.”

Most balls faced in a Sheffield Shield match

649 – Steve Waugh, NSW v Qld, 1996

628 – Bob Simpson, NSW v Qld, 1963

626 - Rick McCosker, NSW v WA, 1974

621 - Cameron Bancroft, WA v NSW, 2019

589 – John Dyson, NSW v SA, 1984

571 - Greg Shipperd, Tas v WA, 1989

567 – Cameron Bancroft, WA v NSW, 2015

So actually it was, Cameron Bancroft just shy of Rick McCosker, who was just shy of Bob Simpson, who was just shy of Steve Waugh.
Got it.

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ha - it’s why you’d make an honest but lousy sub-editor

Nothing to do with Australia but Duanne Olivier, with 48 wickets at 19 in 10 Tests, 26 years old, has turned his back on South Africa and signed a 3-year KOLPAK contract with Yorkshire in the English County Championship. In simple terms, he is now considered a “local” player, as counties can only sign a certain number of overseas, but at the expense of ever playing for his country again. Morne Morkel and Kyle Abbott did the same thing. Big concern for Sth Africa that some of their best talent are effectively being bought by English counties…

Until the poms naturalise him, like they’ve done with all 17 Currans.

Groblersdal?
That’s in Engerland!
Englaaaand’s everywheeeeere.

As he has already played for Seth Efrica, does that make him ineligible to play for England?

He would need to wait 3 years.

From 1 January 2019, to play for England, players will need to:

  • Have British citizenship and
  • Either have been born in England/Wales, or have three years’ residence (a total of 210 days/year April-March) and
  • Not have played as a local player in professional international or domestic cricket in a full member country within the past three years.

The changes bring the ECB closer to International Cricket Council regulations.

Sri Lankan cricket legend Sanath Jayasuriya has been banned from all cricket for two years after admitting to two breaches of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Code, the sport’s governing body has announced.

Claims to have accepted the ban for the good of the game. Maybe a little to late for that one.

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I thought Sri Lankan players were given an amnesty to come out with the truth

I for one welcome our new Duane olivier overlord

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Dodoro must be doing some freelance work for the ECB during the off season

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Sure enough, CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe was strongly critical of the decision. “We find it extremely disappointing that Duanne has taken this step after all the opportunities we have given him, particularly over the past season and going forward, to live his dream of being an international cricketer,” Moroe said.

Umm… surely it’s not his dream if he’s turning his back on it???

It’s purely a financial decision. Shows probably the level of pay that CSA gives it’s players if they are prepared to forgo playing for their country to play as a professional County cricketer…

“Closer”? Why the ■■■■ aren’t they same? Surely all countries should be by the same rules

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Kyle Abbott is over there doing the same thing.

Olivier is probably worried they’ll never retire Steyn or Philander, and with Rabada and Ngidi bolstering their quota, he might get squeezed out.

I think it’s fair to say that Ngidi and Rabada are there in their own right.

Holding on to both steyn and philander is what is hurting them.

Abbott and Morkel leaving made more sense as both of them were on the fringe and older too.

Tbf though I don’t know if they have any other talented young guys coming through, entirely possible that Olivier may think a couple youngsters might come along in 2/3 years time and knock him out of the equation, which would mean he would be well into his 30s by the time he’d qualify for English selection (assuming that is his goal)

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He’s not seeking English citizenship. He’s been offered a lucrative offer to play County cricket, however he has to forfeit his right to play for Sth Africa to take it up and be classed as a “local” player. This isn’t like Jofra Archer.

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$50 says he’s in the Ashes squad as soon as the 3 years is up?