Cameron Bancroft has 'unfinished business' at Durham Cricket as return of key figures leave club looking forward

Marcus North says Cameron Bancroft has ‘unfinished business’ at Durham as the Australian prepares for a second stint at the club.
Cameron Bancroft will return to Durham Cricket in early MayCameron Bancroft will return to Durham Cricket in early May
Cameron Bancroft will return to Durham Cricket in early May

Bancroft is due to return to the club for County Championship duty in May, with New Zealand international Will Young set to deputise for three games from April 15th.

The Australian batsman has been in fine form during the Sheffield Shield, and Durham’s Director of Cricket says that is exciting for the county.

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”Cameron is having a fantastic season in Australia for Western Australia,” North said.

“He's just scored his third century in the Sheffield Shield.

“Look, the short period of time that we had him in 2019, he scored a lot of runs for us, made hundreds, which is key and had a period of leadership with us through a very difficult time for him coming back into cricket.

“It was an excellent impact before he got called up for the Ashes, so to have that player as an overseas player that's going to come and be available, once he gets here, for the remainder of the season, who knows what Durham is about, knows our culture, knows our players, knows what it means to play for Durham, is great for us and is equally exciting for Cameron.

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“When I've spoken to Cameron over the last couple of years – obviously he would have been here last year, but due to COVID, we didn't have the overseas players – he very much has that language that he's a Durham player and he's got unfinished business back here.

“That again is really exciting, having an overseas player coming back and having that desire not just to do well for himself, but most importantly, do well for Durham and make sure Durham is playing well."

The arrivals of Bancroft and Young supplement another encouraging winter of recruitment, with Scott Borthwick the latest player to return to the county.

Head Coach James Franklin says the move was a sign that Durham Cricket continues to move in the right direction.

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”The cool thing from my point of view, and the county’s point of view, is that a number of those players [who left] are starting to come back,” Franklin said.

“Scott is the obvious example, but we had Paul Coughlin the year before and Ben Raine the year before that.

“It’s really important for us that we have that North-East identity in terms of the playing group and even the language that we have in the changing room. We have to have that identity about us, it’s really important, but the bonus is that they’re really good people and fantastic players as well.

“To get Scott back this winter is really cool. He’s a seasoned player in domestic cricket and has obviously played a bit for England as well.

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“He brings a lot of leadership and experience, and was very much part of a winning Durham team from years gone by. For him, winning is a normal thing to happen here, and hopefully that will rub off on the rest of the playing group.

“I think people can see the direction that we’re wanting to head towards.”

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