Updated March 22, 2019 10:21:14

Photo: Cameron Bancroft has made two 50s and one century for Western Australia in Sheffield Shield since his return to cricket. (AAP: Steve Christo )

English county Durham have named Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft, who served a nine-month ban last year for his role in a ball-tampering scandal, as their captain for this season.

Bancroft returned to action in December after his suspension for his part in the Australian team's plan to change the condition of the ball during a Test match in South Africa last year.

Australia captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner were both handed one-year bans for their roles in the incident.

Bancroft replaced as Durham captain former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood, who retired at the end of last season.

"He's proven since returning to first-class cricket over the last few months that he has the mental toughness, skill and attitude to excel at the highest level and I'm sure he will relish the challenge we have at Durham this season," Durham's lead high performance coach James Franklin said.

"We're delighted to have Cameron with us for the season and we're confident he has the attributes to lead this exciting young Durham dressing room."

The 26-year-old returned to action in the Big Bash League in late December and has played Sheffield Shield cricket for Western Australia this summer, scoring 138 not out and 86 in his return match.

Last March, Bancroft was caught on camera trying to tamper with the ball using sandpaper during Australia's Test against South Africa in Cape Town last March.

He admitted he lied in a subsequent news conference, when he said he used sticky tape covered in dirt to change the ball's condition.

Smith said the plan to use sandpaper had been hatched by the team's "leadership group", with an investigation revealing Warner was the one who led the plan, with Smith failing to stop it despite seeing it unfolding.

Smith is ineligible to hold a leadership position until mid-2020, while Warner is banned from holding a similar position for the rest of his career.

Photo: Cameron Bancroft (second right) was at the centre of a storm of controversy when he used sandpaper to try to tamper with the ball in Cape Town. (AP: Halden Krog)

Bancroft's return to cricket has not been without controversy.

Just prior to the end of his ban, Bancroft's letter to his younger self described how he almost turned to teaching yoga while away from cricket.

He received some criticism for that, and for his decision to do an interview with Fox Cricket — which was seen as overshadowing the Boxing Day Test against India — in which he said his opening batting partner Warner was the one who asked him to tamper with the ball in Cape Town.

Bancroft, who has eight Test caps, could be named in Australia's squad for the Ashes series in England this year.

Reuters/ABC

Topics: sport, cricket, wa, perth-6000, australia, england

First posted March 22, 2019 10:04:19