Bancroft mulled yoga career after ban
Melbourne, December 22
Cricketer Cameron Bancroft, the third and least-known of the Australian players banned over ball-tampering in South Africa earlier this year, says he found solace in yoga and came close to choosing yoga over cricket.
Bancroft, whose six-month ban ends on December 29, had become infamous as the man who used sandpaper on the cricket ball in a Test against South Africa in Cape Town. Videos had appeared of Bancroft trying to hide the yellow piece of sandpaper in his trousers.
In a letter addressed to himself and published in an Australian newspaper, Bancroft explained how he became involved with yoga after he was banned in March.
The 26-year-old wrote he considered dedicating his life to teaching yoga after a taking a yoga course in Melbourne in September. “You learn about anatomy, how to teach poses, alignment, the philosophy but most importantly you learn that you can use your life to a greater purpose,” Bancroft addressed himself in his letter. “New friends will be made, great people with similar interests. Maybe cricket isn’t for you, you’ll ask yourself... Will you return? Yoga will be such a fulfilling experience. It’s hard to feel this reality could exist. You meet people fighting battles greater than you can understand, but through your own hardship and journey you can inspire others in the form of yoga,” he wrote.
But returning to playing cricket at Willetton District Cricket Club rekindled his love of his chosen sport. “You wear a blue cap, it won’t be a Baggy Green, but the enjoyment is the same,” he wrote. “You love the game. That’s the heart of all passion. Cricket is still well and truly a part of who you are.”
Bancroft said he forgave himself for the ball-tampering scandal. “Many people will judge you as a cheat, but that is OK. Always love and respect everyone. You will love those people because you forgive them. Just like you’re going to forgive yourself,” Bancroft wrote. “Have faith and embrace uncertainty.” — Agencies
