Western Australia coach Beau Casson says Cam Bancroft will “let his bat do the talking” after the old wounds of the 2018 sandpaper scandal were dramatically reopened by his former Test teammate Usman Khawaja.
On Saturday, it was revealed Khawaja’s forthcoming autobiography contained bombshell allegations Australia’s entire team was aware of plans to tamper with the ball on their tour of South Africa in 2018.
His claims contradict the findings of an investigation conducted by Cricket Australia at the time, which found only Bancroft, captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner had knowledge of the plot.
Bancroft was captured by broadcast cameras attempting to hide a piece of sandpaper on the field during the third Test of an ill-tempered series in Cape Town. He was handed a nine-month suspension from international and State cricket by CA after their probe concluded.
When asked if he was disappointed on Bancroft’s behalf that the incident had once again come back into the spotlight eight years after it played out, Casson remained diplomatic.
“The situation was a long time ago,” Casson said.
“He’s keen to move on and let his bat do the talking and that’s what we’re promoting him to do.
“I think he’s handled himself with distinction in that space. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
“You can’t control everything . . . there’s a lot of things you can’t control that get put out there, and it’s just about what you do moving forward.
“The way he’s handled it over the past couple of weeks and the years gone by speaks volumes about the way he’s done that.”
The West Australian made a request to WA Cricket to speak with Bancroft at the conclusion of the game, which was turned down.
Only hours after Khawaja’s revelations sparked a worldwide media storm, the 33-year-old lined up for WA in their 50-over tour match against England at the WACA Ground, making 32 in a 92-run defeat.
Casson pointed to a brilliant 186 the opener compiled in a Sheffield Shield match against South Australia last week, which was played concurrently with Australia’s return to Newlands, as an example of his ability to not let off-field events affect his on-field performances.
“We’re just rapt to be able to have Cameron scoring runs for us,” he said.
“The Western Australia side is a far better side when Cameron’s playing the way he did in Adelaide.
“No doubt he’ll continue to do that. He leaves nothing to chance, he trains hard, not only technically, but physically.
“The boys really enjoy having him in the change room and I’m no different. He’s a senior player within this group and he certainly sets the example of how to go about it as a professional cricketer.”
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