Cameron Bancroft was transported to the hospital following a cycling accident that resulted in a concussion and put an end to his Sheffield Shield title aspirations. Sam Whiteman, captain of Western Australia, was relieved that his opening partner did not sustain any additional injuries.
On Sunday, enthusiastic cyclist Bancroft tumbled from his bicycle and landed on his head. Since the incident occurred while he was cycling alone, he has been ruled out of the final against Tasmania, which begins at the WACA on Thursday.
“[I’m] pretty gutted, but nice to hear he’s okay and out of hospital,” Whiteman told reporters on Wednesday. “I think it’s pretty lucky that it wasn’t much worse. He’s got plenty of scratches. Hopefully we’ll see him around the WACA this week, and I know that he’s gutted to miss it, but he’ll get around the team.
“He’s done a lot of heavy lifting this year to get us into the final.”
Bancroft’s defeat is a significant setback for Western Australia’s pursuit of three Shield titles following another outstanding campaign in which he ranked second in runs scored with 778 at a rate of 48.62.
The dependable opening partnership of Bancroft and Whiteman, who became the state’s most prolific first-wicket tandem this season, is the foundation of Washington’s batting order. However, due to Bancroft’s absence, Western Australia will have to restructure their opening combination, possibly promoting No. 3 Jayden Goodwin and allowing D’Arcy Short and Teague Wyllie to contend for the XI.
Although he has only participated in one Shield match this season, the seasoned Short scored a tenacious 49 while batting at No.5 against Queensland earlier this month on a challenging WACA surface.
Murray Goodwin, the son of former Zimbabwe Test batsman Murray Goodwin, established himself as Western Australia’s No. 3 with a first-class century against Queensland during his breakthrough season. Last month, he also amassed 85 runs against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval amidst challenging batting conditions.
Goodwin, 22, may not be moved from the No. 3 position by WA’s hierarchy, given that Wyllie has solidified his position as the most likely candidate to succeed Bancroft at the top of the order.
Wyllie, however, has been sidelined since early February from the Shield due to his poor performance this season (average of 17.80 points in six matches). Against a full-strength Victorian attack, he opened the season with a valiant 94 off 251 deliveries at No. 3, but he wanted and was unsuccessfully demoted down the order.
Wyllie, a former member of both of Western Australia’s previous championship squads, labored mightily with seaming balls and was frequently stranded on the crease. But he has regained form in Western Australia premier cricket, scoring two centuries for Rockingham-Mandurah in his last three innings.
Wyllie opens at club level but has never performed the role in first-class cricket. “He’s been an opener his whole career. It’s where he feels most comfortable,” Whiteman said. “He hasn’t had the best season but I love the way he’s been constantly trying to improve himself.
“We’ve seen some big innings from him over the last few years. So, if he gets his opportunity, I’m sure he can step up.”
Tasmania captain Jordan Silk said his team would not underestimate Bancroft’s replacement.
“I’m sure whoever they bring in… they’ve got Shield hundreds and I think [WA] will be confident they can replace him,” Silk said. “[Bancroft’s] obviously one of the batters you talk at length about in team meetings, because he’s such a prolific run scorer and he’s hard to remove.
“You want the best players playing on this stage, so my thoughts go out to him.”
