Media reacted 'appropriately' to ball-tampering incident: Bancroft

Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft, who is currently serving a nine-month suspension for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal, believes the media's reaction to the incident was appropriate while adding that he has no anger against them.

The Australian media had created a huge uproar when Cameron Bancroft, along with former Australian skipper Steve Smith and former vice-captain David Warner, was found guilty of tampering the ball during the third Test of the four-match series against South Africa at Newlands in March.

"When you're in the media a lot, good or bad, it can be really challenging to deal with, really challenging to digest the different opinion that flies around. Because that's what it was, there was a lot of opinions, a lot of people saying things. For me, in that situation, it was about me and my mistake and the poor decision I made," cricket.com.au quoted Bancroft, as saying.

"What anyone else thought or said didn't change the fact that I made a really bad decision and I've had to really forgive myself for that error I made. It's all a part of moving forward with it all. The media reacted appropriately to the situation and what happened and I have no anger or judgement or resentment for that," he added.

The 25-year-old, who will be playing in Northern Territory's Strike League starting July 1, asserted that his current focus is to continue to perform well and earn his spot back in the Australian team.

"There have been times where I've felt really sad, there's been times where I've felt really angry. But overall, I've worked really hard on myself, been really busy with a lot of things and right now it's just another step forward, heading up to Darwin to play some cricket and I'm really looking forward to it," Bancroft said.

"I can't change what happened in South Africa and that's something I'm completely accountable for.Everything since South Africa I've moved towards have been steps closer to one day getting back and playing cricket for Australia again," he added.

The wicketkeeper-batsman further revealed that he is in touch with Steve Smith and David Warner, who are playing Global T20 Canada tournament in Toronto, and that trio is helping each other out to cope with the situation.

"I speak to them quite regularly, at least every week. Whether that's a phone call or messages, they're obviously very busy with some things too," he said.

"They're two really great people and we've been looking after each other. That's a value that we really hold closely at the WACA (Western Australian Cricket Association), is this idea of looking after your mates. We've been going through all of this together and we definitely look out for each other, that's for sure," he added.

David Warner, along with former skipper Steve Smith, was handed a one-year ban by Cricket Australia from both domestic and international cricket for their involvement in the scandal that sent shock waves through the cricket world.