Bancroft hammers 151 on Durham debut

Cameron Bancroft hit an unbeaten and match-winning 151 on his one-day debut for Durham as the Australian batsman started to repay the English county's faith in him.

Bancroft was banned for nine months after being caught in the Australia ball-tampering scandal during their tour of South Africa last year.

After returning in the KFC BBL in December and playing a role in the back end of Western Australia's JLT Sheffield Shield campaign, Bancroft has joined up with Durham with a view to making Australia's Ashes squad.

Durham, now under a new Australian director of cricket in Marcus North, attracted criticism in some quarters when they recruited Bancroft and again when they named him captain.

Making his maiden limited-overs appearance for the northeast side, Bancroft blazed 151 not out from 130 balls and also kept wickets in their 72-run win at home to Northamptonshire in a One-Day Cup match at Chester-le-Street.

"Hopefully (I'm winning the crowd over). I'm just going out there to enjoy my cricket and to enjoy playing for Durham. Hopefully, making some runs and if that's going to win them over, fantastic," he said.

"Winning always creates a nice feeling.

"The guys have been working hard so it's nice to start this tournament really well and personally it was nice to get some runs."

Bancroft, who played in the 2017-18 Ashes, plundered five sixes and eight fours in a 188-minute stay at the crease.

Together with Michael Richardson, he put on 208 for the fourth-wicket before the latter was out in the final over.

Durham went on to score 5-342 from their 50 overs.

Northants were dismissed for 270, despite an entertaining 86 from 68 balls from Holder as Durham's highly-rated 20-year-old pace bowler Matty Potts took 4-62.

Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell scored 35 as his Lancashire were thrashed by 125 runs by Worcestershire at Old Trafford.

New Zealand opener Hamish Rutherford's classy 108 set the foundations for Worcestershire's imposing total of 367 with Daryl Mitchell also scoring a century for the visitors.

Maxwell took 2-82 for Lancashire who were then bowled out for 242 in 40.4 overs with England opener Keaton Jennings top scoring with 54.