Disgraced Aussie opener Cameron Bancroft has got the nod to pad up for Perth club cricket after a ‘constitutional anomaly’ has been waived by local clubs.
Thanks to the ‘Perth waive’, Bancroft can keep his eye in by playing for his club, Willeton, before he has served the ban that will keep him out of action for his state and country.
Western Australia club cricket regulations hold the moral high ground in legislating that any player suspended from playing state cricket for the Warriors is equally (and appropriately) banned from padding up for the Perth Premier League. However, the rule-makers left a window of opportunity by allowing the league’s clubs to vote to overturn such a ban in ‘exceptional circumstances’, with a simple majority being required to allow a banned player back into the fold. The 16 clubs voted resoundingly to allow Bancroft to play on Monday, with 14 of them voting in favour of letting him play – an 87.55 majority.
The Devil’s Number strikes again. Aussies, take note!
‘They were put in an awkward position by the sanctions in the first place and a lack of understanding of the rules that applied across premier cricket in Australia, but this is good news for Cameron,’ said Christina Matthews, the Waca chief executive.
‘Cameron more than anything wants to play cricket here. Like anybody, he has his ups and downs but, overall, I think he is in a pretty good space. He’s not far off starting his community service; we have some things lined up for him there and we’ll hopefully finalise those this week. He’s really committed to doing that in a genuine and authentic way, and not just a box-ticking way.’
The clubs clearly took the decision seriously by debating the waiving of the regulation for almost half an hour.
‘It was the fact that there’s been other players who have had to serve out sanctions when sanctioned by Cricket Australia in other competitions. So it’s just reasonable debate and discussion about why it wouldn’t apply in this circumstance and how the circumstances were different,’ said Matthews.
More shame on you, Aussies!
Photo: EPA/DARREN ENGLAND
