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Former Australia captain Mark Taylor has backed Cameron Bancroft to make a comeback into Test side and replace an injured all-rounder Cameron Green for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against India starting in November.
As per reports, Green suffered a stress fracture on his lower back and is likely to undergo surgery ruling him out of the five-Test series at home. Cameron Bancroft who played his last Test in 2019 was one of the contenders to replace the sport left vacant after David Warner's retirement. However, Steve Smith was pushed up the order to open in red-ball cricket.
"It's an awkward one isn't it? Cam Green was out of the Australian side during the Ashes series of last year and Mitch Marsh came in but Australia were very keen to get him back in," Taylor said on 'Wide World of Sports'.
Taylor wants Smith to return to no.4
A few players in the side have backed an attacking Travis Head to open the innings alongside Usman Khawaja to unsettle India's in-form pace battery. But Taylor feels there is a need to have a right-handed batter as opener.
"I think Smith will move back to No.4. So the question is who will open? I'd love to see a right-handed opening batsman get the opportunity. And to me at the moment ... I would have Bancroft penciled in alongside (Usman) Khawaja," Taylor said.
Bancroft’s first class and Test numbers
In his previous first-class appearance for Western Australia, Bancroft registered two ducks against Queensland. He has a good record in domestic cricket scoring 10,547 runs from 162 games at an average of 39.35 including 29 centuries and 37 fifties. In Tests, he has 446 runs from 10 games at an average of 26.23 inlcuding three half-centuries. He is yet to score a Test century.
The 31-year-old is yet to play against India. He faced a nine-month ban as he was involved in the ball-tampering scandal on South Africa soil alongside Warner and Smith.
