||CF Correspondent||

Cameron Bancroft will return to top-tier cricket on December 30, a day after the end of his current nine-month ban, with the Big Bash League (BBL) match between Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes, confirmed Scorchers coach Adam Voges.

“I see a real possibility that he’ll come straight back in for that game,” Voges was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

Scorchers will kickstart their journey in the BBL with the match against Melbourne Renegades on December 20. They will play two more matches before the expected return date of the batsman and those games are likely to have an impact on Bancroft’s inclusion in the side.

“A lot will just depend on how we’re going at the time. There’ll be some opportunity for a number of our other batsmen in those first three games and much will be dependent probably on how they go,” said the Scorchers coach.

While Bancroft is set to feature in the BBL next month, the other two players of the banned trio – Steve Smith and David Warner – will have to wait for three more months to play top-level cricket in Australia.

However, both Smith and Warner have made T20 appearances outside Australia by playing in Global T20 Canada in August and the latter will also play in the Bangladesh Premier League in January-February next year. The duo is expected to be automatic selections for the national side once their bans are lifted, but Bancroft, who has played only eight Tests, is likely to have his work cut out to get into the team.

Voges said: “There's four Shield games post the Big Bash as well that I'm sure he (Bancroft) will be keen to do well in.