Image Credit- CA
After suffering a
concussion in a bike accident that destroyed his hopes of winning the Sheffield
Shield, Cameron Bancroft was admitted to the hospital. Sam Whiteman, the
captain of Western Australia, expressed relief that his opening partner did not
sustain any more injuries.
On Sunday, Bancroft, an avid cyclist, went off his bike and hit his head. He
was riding alone when the incident happened, and as a result, he will not be
able to participate in Thursday’s WACA final against Tasmania.
“[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.”
After another
fantastic season in which he is the second-highest run scorer with 778 at
48.62, Bancroft’s loss is a major blow to Western Australia’s hopes of winning
a hat-trick of Shield titles.
The foundation of WA’s batting order is the dependable opening duo of Bancroft
and Whiteman, who have emerged as the state’s most productive first-wicket
combination this year. However, Bancroft’s absence means that WA will have to
change up their opening lineup, potentially moving No. 3 Jayden Goodwin up to
the starting XI and D’Arcy Short and Teague Wyllie up.
Goodwin, the son of
former Zimbabwe Test batsman Murray Goodwin, has established himself as Western
Australia’s third-best player with a first-class century against Queensland.
Goodwin has had a breakout season. In challenging batting circumstances last month,
he also hit 85 against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval.
The hierarchy of WA might be hesitant to demote Goodwin, 22, from his No. 3
spot given that Wyllie is increasingly likely to take Bancroft’s place at the
top of the order.
However, Wyllie, 19,
has struggled this season, averaging 17.80 from six games, and has not
participated in the Shield since early February. Against a full-strength
Victorian attack, he opened the season with a valiant 94 off 251 deliveries at
No. 3, but he soon faded and was unsuccessfully demoted down the order.
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.”