Durham have signed ball-tampering Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft.

Bancroft, who will join Durham as their overseas player for 2019, received a nine-month ban from Cricket Australia earlier this year for his role in a ball-tampering scandal.

Bancroft was found guilty of attempting to manipulate the condition of the ball on day three of the third Test against South Africa on March 24.

It was an act which led to widespread condemnation and also saw Australia captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner receive 12-month suspensions for their involvement.

In their official announcement confirming the recruitment of 25-year-old Bancroft on Friday, Durham made no mention of the ball-tampering row.

Bancroft, who has played in eight Tests, will be available to Durham next season in all formats of the game.

In a statement released by the club, Bancroft said he was “grateful for the opportunity”.

England v Australia – Fourth Royal London One Day International – Emirates Riverside
Cameron Bancroft will play the Emirates Riverside ground next year. (Richard Sellers/PA Wire)

He added: “I am excited to join Durham for the 2019 county season.

“With the Ashes and ODI World Cup both being played in the UK in 2019, it will be a huge summer of cricket.

“I am grateful for the opportunity and I can’t wait to get over and make an impact with Durham.”

Derbyshire v Durham – Specsavers County Championship – Division Two – Day Two – Queen’s Park
Durham head coach Jon Lewis (Mike Egerton/PA Wire)
<img

Durham head coach Jon Lewis said: "Cameron provides us with a very talented overseas signing who can bulk up our batting line-up and help us compete for silverware.

"Tom Latham has done a great job for us over the past two seasons, but we anticipate Tom being unavailable due to the World Cup in 2019, therefore we were delighted to be able to bring Cameron in.

"Cameron is a talented top order batsman and a great talent across all formats. He has the appetite and temperament for scoring big runs."