Bancroft, bowlers have cleared the air, says Paine

Australia captain Tim Paine has revealed that the bowlers have cleared the air with Cameron Bancroft after the Australia batsman revealed that the bowlers had prior knowledge about the ball being tampered with during the Cape Town Test against South Africa in 2018. When quizzed if the bowlers knew, Bancroft said that it was "self-explanatory." 

"I think they're frustrated that it keeps popping up but I think that's part and parcel for everyone who played in that Test match," Test skipper Paine was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

"Their mood was fine, I think they've spoken to (Bancroft), cleared the air there and I think everyone's looking forward to moving on. We're all grown men and those guys have made contact with each other and sorted it out," Paine added.

When contacted by Cricket Australia (CA) to shed light on the issue, he is believed to have said that he has no significant information to share. The bowlers in that match - Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc - recently released a joint statement completely denying any prior knowledge. 

The trio of Bancroft, then skipper Steven Smith and his deputy David Warner were banned for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal.

While Smith and Warner are back in the team after serving their year-long bans, Bancroft, who was suspended for nine months, last played for Australia in 2019.

Paine asserted that Bancroft's recent comments will not jeopardise his chances of returning to the national side. "We don't pick Test teams on what they say in the media. We pick test teams on how many runs they're scoring ... and that certainly won't be held against him." 

(With inputs from PTI)